Smart-QPE for Physical Fitness

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Michigan

Disqualifiers: Severe cognitive impairment, severe physical impairment, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how technology-enhanced physical education can improve students' fitness, social skills, and mental well-being. It employs the Smart-QPE system, where students wear heart rate monitors during PE classes to track their activity levels. The trial seeks students in grades 4-7 who regularly attend PE classes and can read and write in English. Students interested in seeing how technology can boost fitness and mood may find this a good fit. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to participate in innovative research that could enhance the school experience.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on physical education and fitness, so it's unlikely to require changes to your medication.

What prior data suggests that the Smart-QPE is safe for students?

Studies have shown that technology-enhanced physical education, such as Smart-QPE, can be safely included in school lessons. In Smart-QPE, students wear heart rate monitors to track their activity during gym class, similar to the fitness trackers many people use comfortably.

Although these studies do not provide specific safety data on Smart-QPE, using heart rate monitors in schools is generally considered safe. These monitors help students exercise at safe levels. Schools would not use this technology if it were unsafe.

Overall, participating in Smart-QPE is expected to be as safe as attending a regular gym class. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Smart-QPE intervention because it integrates technology directly into physical education, allowing students to monitor their own heart rates in real-time. Unlike traditional PE classes, which may rely on general guidelines for activity levels, Smart-QPE uses heart rate monitors synced with the Heart Zone Moves System to tailor physical activity to each student's intensity level. This personalized approach encourages students to engage more effectively in physical activities, potentially improving their fitness and health outcomes. By fostering self-awareness and motivation, Smart-QPE could revolutionize how physical education is taught, making it more interactive and effective.

What evidence suggests that Smart-QPE is effective for improving physical fitness?

Research has shown that quality physical education programs can help students become more active and improve their social and emotional skills. Studies have found that these programs lead to better physical skills and improved social interactions. The Smart-QPE approach in this trial, which uses heart rate monitoring, aims to boost these benefits by encouraging students to engage in various levels of physical activity, from light to vigorous. Additionally, quality physical education is linked to increased motivation for exercise and better overall well-being in students. These findings suggest that Smart-QPE could effectively enhance fitness and mental health in school students. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for students in grades 4-7, aged 8-14 years old, who are enrolled in physical education classes and can read and write in English. They must be able to complete surveys and an aerobic fitness test unless they have severe cognitive or physical impairments as confirmed by a school nurse or social worker.

Inclusion Criteria

Students can skip any questions they don't want to answer as they respond to the survey questions at the baseline and the post-intervention

I am a student in 4th to 7th grade and between 8-14 years old.

Enroll in the school offered physical education classes

Exclusion Criteria

Students cannot complete the survey, which means that students had difficulty understanding the meaning of each item due to severe cognitive impairment informed by the school nurse/social worker

Students do not submit the survey on time (within a week)

If a student only submit one survey either at baseline or at the post-intervention

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Baseline Assessment

Students are assessed for cardiorespiratory fitness, social emotional learning skills, physical activity, and mental well-being

Up to 4 months

Smart-QPE Intervention

PE teachers integrate the Heart Zone Moves System into teaching quality physical education lessons, and students wear heart rate monitors to self-monitor their activity

Up to 2 months

Post-Intervention Assessment

Students are reassessed for cardiorespiratory fitness, social emotional learning skills, physical activity, and mental well-being

Up to 4 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for long-term effects on physical activity, fitness, and well-being

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Smart-QPE

Trial Overview The study is testing 'Smart-QPE', which is a technology-enhanced quality physical education program. It aims to see how this program affects kids' physical activity levels, cardiorespiratory fitness, social emotional learning skills, and mental well-being.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Smart-Quality Physical Education Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

For the Smart-Quality Physical Education (Smart-QPE) intervention, PE teachers integrates the Heart Zone Moves System into teaching quality physical education lessons. During the Smart-QPE lessons, students wear the heart rate monitors synced to system to self-monitor their heart rates corresponding to light, moderate, and vigorous intensity physical activity.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Michigan

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,891

Recruited

6,458,000+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6188599/

Effectiveness of quality physical education in improving ... This study aimed to examine the extent to which the quality physical education teaching (QPET) practices contributed to improving 4th- and 5th-grade ...

2. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07227935

Sustaining Quality Physical Education for Healthy Kids The purpose of the study is to examine the effects of the technology-enhanced quality physical education (Smart-QPE) lessons on physical ...

3. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.799330/full

What Drives Quality Physical Education? A Systematic ... The greatest effects across interventions were witnessed in psychomotor learning outcomes (d = 0.52) followed by affective (d = 0.47), social (d ...

4. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024011836

Provision of Quality Physical Education to enhance the ... This study aimed to address three research questions: i) Can the motivation for PA participation be enhanced through the provision of high-quality PE programs ...

5. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19325037.2025.2536774?af=R

Physical Activity and Social-Emotional Learning Contribute ... This study examined associations between real-time moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during quality physical education (QPE), total daily PA, and SEL with ...

6. unesco.org unesco.org/en/quality-physical-education

Promoting Quality Physical Education Policy Quality physical education (QPE) is distinct from physical education. The main differences relate to frequency, variety, inclusivity and value content.

7. nature.com nature.com/articles/s41598-025-19317-8

Intelligent data driven assessment of physical education ... This study presents an intelligent multi-criteria evaluation framework for physical education (PE) systems by integrating the circular ...

8. ieeexplore.ieee.org ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8924061/

A Self-developed Smart Wristband to Monitor Exercise ... Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a smart wristband that can monitor students' exercise quantity and exercise intensity and ...

9. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7136862/

Association of Physical Education With Improvement ... This systematic review and meta-analysis examines the association of quality- and quantity-based physical education interventions with health- ...