Personalized Exercise Coaching to Improve Quality of Life in Pediatric IBD (FIT4IBDKids)

January 12, 2026 updated by: Max Kips, Universiteit Antwerpen

Personalized Exercise Coaching to Improve Quality of Life in Pediatric IBD - FIT4IBDKids: Study Protocol

The primary objective of this research is to gain novel insights into the potential of physical activity in reducing fatigue, improving QoL and GI manifestations in children with IBD. The study design will be composed of two parallel groups to investigate the role of physical activity: on the one hand patients with higher exercise habits, on the other hand children with lower exercise habits. To this end, the two groups of pediatric IBD patients will undergo a 24 weeks exercise programme, adjunctive to their current treatment, quantified by a Health Smartwatch (Garmin Inc.). The primary outcomes will then be characterized by the PedsQoL-MFS, IMPACT-III, PCDAI and PUCAI questionnaires, as well as VO2-max quantification. The proposed research will confirm or refute current hypotheses about physical training suggesting an improvement in quality of life (QoL), fatigue and bowel symptoms in children with IBD. Furthermore, investigating the effectiveness on secondary outcomes including muscle strength and aerobic capacity will be a new contribution to current knowledge.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

A 24 week exercise programme is designed by "Physical Activity on Prescription" (Bewegen Op Verwijzing). This multidisciplinary team develops personalized coaching programs designed to support physically inactive individuals in adopting a more active lifestyle. The intervention is characterized by professional guidance from a qualified and motivational coach, the development of a tailored physical activity plan, and continuous follow-up. The team will develop a holistic family-centered coaching trajectory for children aged six to 18 years. The intake session in which individualized physical activity goals are defined in collaboration with the child, encourages autonomy and active participation. Based on this initial assessment, a personalized coaching plan will be co-created with each child and their family, aiming to increase physical activity levels in a structured and supportive manner. The intervention will span a minimum duration of six months, in order to reduce the risk of drop-out and to promote long-term sustainability of behavioral change. All participants will participate in one supervised intake session with "Physical Activity on Prescription" (Bewegen Op Verwijzing) at baseline assessment. Furthermore, the online application UZA@Home provides digital support and guidance to patients throughout their trajectory at the University Hospital of Antwerp (UZA). Its primary aim is to empower patients by equipping them with the necessary tools to actively engage in their treatment, while ensuring high-quality care as close to home as possible. Through the patient portal, individuals receive feedback on their intervention program and are able to consult appointments or access their medical records. The primary outcomes of this trial include differences in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), as assessed by maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), in addition to patient-reported outcomes measured by the IMPACT-III, PedsQoL-MFS, and the disease activity indices PCDAI and PUCAI. Secondary outcomes encompass a range of physical health parameters, including heart rate variability (HRV), muscular strength, resting blood pressure, basal metabolic rate, aerobic capacity, and body mass index (BMI). Intramural inflammation will be quantified through fecal calprotectin levels. Furthermore, disease activity will be evaluated using intestinal ultrasonography, standard endoscopic procedures (no study specific procedures, only standard of care biopsies) and the analysis of gastrointestinal mucins. All measurements will be conducted during each physical follow-up visit at the hospital, which will occur at the beginning, mid-intervention (except for endoscopy) and after the 24 week intervention period.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
70

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Belgium
    • Antwerpen
      • Edegem, Antwerpen, Belgium, 2650
        • University Hospital Antwerp

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnose with IBD (Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis) according to the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Guidelines.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Diabetes Mellitus (all types, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA))
  2. Malnutrition or Failure to Thrive, suspected or confirmed
  3. Children with malignancy
  4. Children with an acute phase of IBD disease activity
  5. Children who are too fatigued to apply
  6. Children < 120 cm, as VO2 max cannot be measured
  7. Physical inability to perform a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)
  8. Participation in organized exercise training programs in a research setting
  9. Medical contra-indications for exercise

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Higher exercise habits
The first group of this study will consist of children with higher exercise habits, in particular obtaining a weekly Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) score ≥100 at baseline. (The personalized metric for physical activity tracking named PAI quantifies how much physical activity per week is needed to reduce the risk of premature mortality from non-communicable diseases).
Behavioral: Intake session to define individualized physical activity goals
The intake session of a 24 week exercise programme, designed by "Physical Activity on Prescription" (Bewegen Op Verwijzing), will define individualized physical activity goals in collaboration with the child, which encourages autonomy and active participation.
Behavioral: Personalized Motivational Coaching
A personalized coaching program designed by a multidisciplinary team to support physically inactive individuals in adopting a more active lifestyle. The intervention is characterized by professional guidance from a qualified and motivational coach with continuous follow-up. It is a holistic family-centered coaching trajectory for children aged six to 18 years. Its primary aim is to empower patients by equipping them with the necessary tools to actively engage in their treatment, while ensuring high-quality care as close to home as possible.
Behavioral: 24 Week Exercise Programme
A development of a 24 week tailored physical activity plan based on an initial assessment of PAI. The personalized exercise plan will be co-created with each child and their family, aiming to increase physical activity levels in a structured and supportive manner. The intervention will span a minimum duration of six months, in order to reduce the risk of drop-out and to promote long-term sustainability of behavioral change.
Active Comparator: Lower exercise habits
Peers in the second group will reach PAI scores <100 at baseline. (The personalized metric for physical activity tracking named PAI quantifies how much physical activity per week is needed to reduce the risk of premature mortality from non-communicable diseases).
Behavioral: Intake session to define individualized physical activity goals
The intake session of a 24 week exercise programme, designed by "Physical Activity on Prescription" (Bewegen Op Verwijzing), will define individualized physical activity goals in collaboration with the child, which encourages autonomy and active participation.
Behavioral: Personalized Motivational Coaching
A personalized coaching program designed by a multidisciplinary team to support physically inactive individuals in adopting a more active lifestyle. The intervention is characterized by professional guidance from a qualified and motivational coach with continuous follow-up. It is a holistic family-centered coaching trajectory for children aged six to 18 years. Its primary aim is to empower patients by equipping them with the necessary tools to actively engage in their treatment, while ensuring high-quality care as close to home as possible.
Behavioral: 24 Week Exercise Programme
A development of a 24 week tailored physical activity plan based on an initial assessment of PAI. The personalized exercise plan will be co-created with each child and their family, aiming to increase physical activity levels in a structured and supportive manner. The intervention will span a minimum duration of six months, in order to reduce the risk of drop-out and to promote long-term sustainability of behavioral change.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in fatigue in children with IBD
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
This primary outcome will be characterized by a validated PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (PedsQoL-MFS) questionnaire.
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Change in Quality of Life in children with IBD
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
This primary outcomes will be characterized by the IMPACT-III questionnaire. IMPACT-III is a valid health-related quality of life questionnaire for pediatric patients who have an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). It was developed among children and adolescents who have IBD. The questionnaire can be administered as a self-report to individuals who have IBD. It provides a measure of patient views on aspects of their health like: physical well-being, emotional and social functioning, body Image.
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Change in disease severity in children with IBD
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
This primary outcome will be characterized by the Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index (PCDAI) which stratifies severity of Crohn's disease in pediatric patients or the Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (PUCAI) which determines severity of ulcerative colitis (UC) in pediatric patients.
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Heart rate variability (HRV)
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
A 24 h time-domain measures of SDNN (standard deviation of the IBI of normal sinus beats).
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Muscular strength
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Objective grading by Handheld Dynamometers (HHDs) to provide a precise and numerical measure of muscle force, displaying the result in quantifiable units like Newtons or kilograms.
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Resting blood pressure
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
In resting conditions, systolic over diastolic blood pressure in mmHg.
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Body mass index (BMI)
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Expressed in units of kg/m2, resulting from mass in kilograms (kg) and height in metres (m).
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max)
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
V̇O2max is expressed as a relative rate in (for example) millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of the body mass per minute (e.g., mL/(kg·min)).
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Intestinal ultrasonograph
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
The ultrasonographic evaluation of the small and large bowels should be performed with both low-frequency (2-5 MHz) and high-frequency (5-17 MHz) linear array probes to provide a correct assessment of the bowel wall thickness and discrimination of the five different bowel wall layers (lumen/mucosa interface, mucosa, submucosa, muscolaris propria, serosa).
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Standard endoscopic procedure
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.

According Position Paper on Behalf of the IBD Group of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology,

Hepatology and Nutrition:

  1. Pediatric Endoscopy should be performed by a pediatric gastroenterologist, or in some cases, by a gastroenterologist with specific pediatric training and/or supported by a pediatric team in a pediatric-friendly setting, as described in the recent ESPGHAN/European Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) guidelines.
  2. According to the revised Porto Criteria, endoscopy is usually recommended in the presence of alarming symptoms (ie, bloody diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal pain) and/or positive serum inflammatory markers (C-CRP) an/or ESR), and/or high levels of fecal calprotectin.
  3. It is recommended to collect 2 biopsies samples from duodenum, stomach and esophagus during EGD, and from terminal ileum, cecum, transverse colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum during IC.
  4. In severe acute colitis, a limited sigmoidoscopy may be safer.
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Fecal calprotectin level
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Expressed in μg/g of faeces.
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
Gastrointestinal mucins
Time Frame: From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.
GWAS for mucin genes including MUC3A, MUC3B, MUC12, and MUC17.
From start to end of the adjunctive 24 weeks exercise programme to current treatment.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Universiteit Antwerpen

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Els Van de Vijver, MD, PhD, University Hospital, Antwerp

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 15, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 12, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 7893

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

No individual participant data (IPD) will be shared. All anonymous data will be collected prospectively in REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) during scheduled hospital visits at baseline, throughout the intervention period (one follow-up point), and at study completion. Patient-reported outcomes will be obtained through validated questionnaires (IMPACT-III, PedsQoL-MFS, PCDAI, and PUCAI), administered electronically in the UZA@Home application. All data will be entered into a secure, password-protected electronic database compliant with GDPR and institutional data protection policies. Any discrepancies or missing values will be addressed according to a predefined data management plan. The four researchers adhere to the 'Guide on Good Data Protection Practice in Research' of the European University Institute (EUI). Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset available from the Dryad repository.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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