Families Moving Together for Physical Activity

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Deirdre Dlugonski

Disqualifiers: Physical activity limitations

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 7

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to discover how to encourage families with preschool-aged children to be more physically active together. Parents and their 3- to 5-year-old children will attend six weekly, one-hour sessions featuring educational discussions, movement games, and take-home activities. The focus is on learning strategies to overcome barriers and set goals for family fitness through the Families Moving Together Curriculum. Parents living with a preschool child who do not have physical activity limitations are well-suited for this study. As an unphased trial, this study offers families a unique opportunity to actively participate in research that could enhance their health and well-being.

Do I need to stop taking my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on promoting physical activity, so it's unlikely that medication changes are required.

What prior data suggests that the Families Moving Together Curriculum is safe for families?

Research has shown that programs like the Families Moving Together Curriculum have succeeded in other settings. For example, Transitioning Together, a program focused on family interaction, improved social skills and reduced family stress. Although it has a different focus, this program suggests that organized family activities can be helpful and safe.

The Families Moving Together Curriculum involves attending sessions with young children and participating in activities such as games and discussions. Aiming to encourage physical activity and education in families, this program does not involve medical treatments, so the usual safety concerns of drug trials do not apply. Participants can generally expect a safe experience centered on learning and being active. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the "Families Moving Together" intervention because it focuses on engaging the entire family in physical activity rather than addressing only the individual. Unlike typical exercise programs that might target just adults or children, this approach involves parents and their young children participating together, fostering a supportive environment for physical activity. The program's structure includes interactive sessions, family movement games, and home-based challenges, all designed to educate and motivate families to incorporate more movement into their daily lives. By emphasizing family involvement and education, this intervention aims to create lasting lifestyle changes that can benefit both children and adults.

What evidence suggests that the Families Moving Together Curriculum is effective for promoting physical activity among families?

Research shows that family-based programs can increase physical activity in both children and parents. One study found that similar programs improved children's movement skills and increased their active playtime. Another study showed that parents gained confidence in supporting their family's physical activity. These findings suggest that the Families Moving Together intervention, which participants in this trial will experience, could help families become more active together. Although specific data on this program is limited, it employs strategies that have succeeded in similar contexts. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for families with preschool-aged children (3-5 years old) who are interested in promoting physical activity. Participants will be required to attend six weekly sessions and complete surveys before, after, and during the program, as well as participate in a group interview at the end.

Inclusion Criteria

I am over 18 and have a child aged 3-5 living with me.

Exclusion Criteria

I have limitations in my physical activities.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants complete 6 weekly, in-person sessions with their child, including educational content and physical activity challenges

6 weeks

6 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants complete surveys and a group interview to evaluate changes in physical activity and family health climate

1 week

1 visit (in-person)

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Families Moving Together Curriculum

Trial Overview The 'Families Moving Together' curriculum is being tested to see if it can help increase physical activity among families. The study involves interactive one-hour sessions over six weeks, along with evaluations through surveys and interviews.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Families Moving Together intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will be asked to attend each 1-hour session with their 3 to 5 year old child. Each session will have the same structure with different health education content. The components of each session include: welcome, warm up, and opening discussion (15 minutes), interactive educational session (15 minutes), family movement game (15 minutes), summary, take home materials, and evaluation (15 minutes). Briefly, educational content for the sessions includes: adult and child physical activity guidelines, physical activity benefits, barriers and facilitators for physical activity, evidence based strategies for increasing family physical activity, building a support system for physical activity, goal setting, and maintaining physical activity changes. After each session, families will be encouraged to complete home-based physical activity challenges and receive additional educational resources

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Deirdre Dlugonski

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1

Recruited

20+

Citations

1. digital.library.txst.edu digital.library.txst.edu/items/f610187c-ff47-4d94-af31-7780f89bba62

Families Moving Together: Increasing Physical Activity by ... The outcome variables for participants in the study included physical activity, body weight, and exercise self-efficacy. No intervention effects were detected ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11656768/

Co-designing a physical activity intervention for low-income ... The purpose of this study is to describe the process and outcomes of engaging with community leaders to co-design the Families Moving Together intervention for ...

3. ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-021-01160-5

results from the “Active 1 + FUN” randomized controlled trial Results suggested that the “Active 1 + FUN” program was effective in improving children's fundamental movement skills.

4. iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aphw.12527

Feasibility and potential efficacy of a family‐based intervention ... The intervention led to increased moderate-to-vigorous PA and FMS in children, along with improved parental self-efficacy, goal setting, ...

5. snaped.fns.usda.gov snaped.fns.usda.gov/library/intervention/families-eating-smart-moving-more

Families Eating Smart and Moving More - SNAP-Ed Connection FESMM is a direct education intervention designed to improve dietary intake, increase daily physical activity, and improve home food safety practices.

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5762411/

Transitioning Together: A Multi-Family Group ... An 8-week program designed to reduce family distress and improve social functioning for adolescents. Findings indicated significant improvements in parental ...

7. familieslearning.org familieslearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NCFL-Defining_Our_Work_F3.pdf

Defining Our Work: Families Learning Together Instructors in family literacy programs create safe, supportive spaces for parents to manage the positive and negative forces that can delay academic success.

8. migrantclinician.org migrantclinician.org/files/FTT%20CHW%20Curriculum.pdf

FAMILIES TALKING TOGETHER: By training community health workers to confidently present the Families Talking Together components, we can promote positive adolescent sexual and re-.

9. familyengagementsolutions.org familyengagementsolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vendor-Guide.pdf

FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS TOGETHER Developing teachers as instructors through training, professional learning communities and coaching on data-driven instruction and family engagement.

10. mentalhealthpromotion.net mentalhealthpromotion.net/resources/fast.pdf

Families and Schools Together (FAST) The data are coded and entered by staff members of the FAST. National Training Center, who oversee the completion of a final evaluation report for every site.