Habit Formation + Physical Activity Planning for Increasing Physical Activity

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Victoria

Disqualifiers: Child meeting activity guidelines

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 6

240 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how building habits and planning physical activities can help parents increase their young children's exercise levels. It aims to determine if creating habits leads to more active kids compared to just educating or planning activities. The trial includes different approaches: standard education, a physical activity planning intervention, and a habit formation intervention, to identify the most effective method. Families in Victoria, British Columbia, with children aged 3 to 5 who engage in less than 60 minutes of active play daily might be a good fit. As an unphased trial, this study offers families the chance to contribute to valuable research that could shape future strategies for increasing children's physical activity.

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that programs designed to help people form exercise habits are generally safe. One study found that these programs significantly increased exercise habits without causing serious side effects. Another review demonstrated that participants' habit scores improved significantly, suggesting that the programs are well-received.

For the exercise planning program, the World Health Organization states that exercise is safe for most people, even those with long-term health issues. The benefits of being active usually outweigh any risks. Starting with easy exercises and gradually increasing intensity aligns with the planning approach.

In short, both the habit-forming and planning programs are considered safe and effective ways to encourage exercise. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores innovative ways to boost physical activity in children by focusing on planning and habit formation. Unlike traditional methods that mainly provide guidelines, this trial introduces a physical activity planning intervention that equips families with tools to actively plan and brainstorm fun activities. Additionally, the habit formation intervention goes a step further by incorporating strategies for creating lasting activity habits through context-dependent repetition. By encouraging families to integrate physical activity into their daily routines, these interventions aim to make staying active a natural and enjoyable part of children's lives.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for increasing physical activity in children?

This trial will compare a habit formation intervention with a physical activity planning intervention to increase physical activity. Research has shown that forming habits can effectively help people become more physically active. A review of several studies found a noticeable improvement in people's habits after they tried these habit-forming methods, suggesting that creating habits can make physical activity a regular part of daily life.

In contrast, planning strategies for physical activity have had mixed results. Some approaches that include planning, along with other methods, have successfully increased activity levels. However, not all strategies focused solely on planning have been effective. For example, certain studies found no significant increase in activity levels in specific trials. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Darren Warburton, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of British Columbia

Ryan Rhodes, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Victoria

Mark Beauchamp, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of British Columbia

Chris Blanchard, PhD

Principal Investigator

Dalhousie University

Valerie Carson, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Alberta

Benjamin Gardner, PhD

Principal Investigator

King's College

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This study is for families in Victoria, British Columbia with at least one parent and one child aged 3-5 who isn't getting the recommended amount of physical activity (60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity daily). It's open to all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.

Inclusion Criteria

Participants will be at least one parent with at least one child between the ages of 3 and 5 years

Families will reside in greater Victoria, British Columbia

Parents can be single parents or co-parents (i.e. we only require one parent and one child to participate)

Exclusion Criteria

If you are a child and you are already getting at least 60 minutes of exercise that makes you breathe harder and sweat every day.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants are assigned to one of three conditions: habit formation, physical activity planning, or standard education control. The intervention focuses on increasing physical activity through habit formation, planning, or education.

6 months

Regular check-ins at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in physical activity and related outcomes after the intervention period.

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Habit formation intervention
• Physical activity planning intervention

Trial Overview The trial examines if helping parents form habits around physical activity can increase their children's active play. It compares a habit formation strategy against just educating parents or combining education with planning over six months.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Physical activity planning intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The physical activity planning intervention condition will receive the same guidelines as the standard education control group but will also be provided with family physical activity planning material. This material will include workbook on how to plan for family physical activity; brainstorming exercise for children where they list physical activities that they have found fun in the past, as well as activities that they would find enjoyable to do as a family.

Group II: Habit formation intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The habit formation intervention condition will receive the same content as the education control condition and the physical activity planning condition but with additional material on creating physical activity support habits. The material includes a brief discussion of what habits are with some very straightforward examples such as preparing for sleep routines, or initiating to drive a car to work. A key component of the habit section will be based on planning for context-dependent repetition, with pointers on how to maintain repetition as habit forms.

Group III: Standard education control group Active Control 1 Intervention

The control group package will consist of Canada's PA guidelines recommending 180 min per week for young children, transitioning to 60 minutes of activity a day for children at five and a breakdown of ways for the parent to help their child achieve this PA (unstructured, endurance, strength, activities) commensurate with this guide. The guide also contains arguments and information about the benefits of PA.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Victoria

Lead Sponsor

Trials

59

Recruited

12,000+

University of British Columbia

Collaborator

Trials

1,506

Recruited

2,528,000+

Canadian Cancer Society (CCS)

Collaborator

Trials

84

Recruited

42,100+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10498635/

Effects of habit formation interventions on physical activity ... Our findings reveal that habit formation interventions are effective in fostering PA habit. Future studies could leverage the insights form this study.

2. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37700303/

Effects of habit formation interventions on physical activity ... Our findings reveal that habit formation interventions are effective in fostering PA habit. Future studies could leverage the insights form this study.

3. mdpi.com mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/23/2488

Time to Form a Habit: A Systematic Review and Meta- ... The meta-analysis showed significant improvements in habit scores pre- to post-intervention across different habits (standardised mean difference: 0.69, 95% CI: ...

4. academic.oup.com academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/33/Supplement_1/ckad133.186/7265762

O.4.2-11 Effects of habit formation interventions on physical ... Our findings reveal that habit formation interventions are effective in fostering PA habit. Future studies could leverage the insights form this study.

5. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08870446.2023.2241777

The impact of action plans on habit and intention strength ... Consistency of action planning during the intervention was associated with change in physical activity at 9-months, and intention and habit strength at 3-months ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11641623/

Time to Form a Habit: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis ... The meta-analysis indicated a significant improvement in habit scores between pre- and post-intervention, demonstrating large effect sizes for ...

7. iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aphw.12605

HabitWalk: A micro‐randomized trial to understand and ... This study aims to deepen the understanding of habit formation in physical activity and identify promotion strategies. We examined the habit ...

8. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/373868754_Effects_of_habit_formation_interventions_on_physical_activity_habit_strength_meta-analysis_and_meta-regression

(PDF) Effects of habit formation interventions on physical ... The habit formation interventions significantly increased PA habit (SMD = 0.31, 95% CI 0.14—0.48, P < .001) compared to the control groups. Subgroup analysis ...

9. mhealth.jmir.org mhealth.jmir.org/2019/2/e10988/

Evaluating Motivational Interviewing and Habit Formation to ... This study suggests that activity trackers may have beneficial effects on physical activity in healthy adults, but benefits vary based on individual factors.