Physical and Psychosocial Outcomes of 16-Week Classroom-Based Morning Exercise Program

October 14, 2026 updated by: Gokce Leblebici, Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Changes in Physical and Psychosocial Outcomes Following a 16-Week Classroom-Based Morning Exercise Program in Primary School Children

The overall goal of the project is to enhance the physical and emotional well-being of primary school-aged children by incorporating short exercises-practicable within the classroom setting right at their desks-into their daily routines, thereby supporting their body awareness, flexibility, postural control, focus, and stress-coping skills.

Furthermore, the project aims to instill a habit of morning exercise among school-aged children and to determine the impact of this habit on flexibility, body image, pain, general well-being, and school burnout.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Enrolling by invitation

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 marked decline in physical activity levels among children has been observed in recent years; this reduction adversely affects not only physical health but also mental, cognitive, and social development. Factors such as urbanization, the loss of play areas, and the widespread use of digital screens restrict children's opportunities for movement and contribute to a range of issues, including obesity, postural disorders, musculoskeletal problems, concentration difficulties, and stress.

The World Health Organization and the CDC recommend at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily for children aged 5 to 17. Research indicates that this level of activity supports fundamental physical attributes-such as muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and posture-while also improving cardiovascular health, reducing the risk of obesity, and strengthening bone health. Furthermore, physical activity has been shown to enhance children's mental well-being, alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, boost self-confidence, and foster a positive body image. Short bouts of morning exercise have been found to improve children's overall mood and help them start the day feeling energized, while also enhancing their motivation to learn and their concentration skills. Furthermore, it has been emphasized that physical activities performed in the morning strengthen the brain's white matter structure and make children happier. Given that children spend the majority of their day at school-and largely at their desks-integrating school-based exercises into their daily routine is of critical importance. Short, structured exercise programs implemented in schools enhance children's adjustment to lessons, attention skills, and cognitive flexibility, while also improving overall learning outcomes.

Current literature confirms that such school-based exercises have positive effects on both physical fitness and psychological development.

The fact that school-based exercises do not require large spaces or specialized equipment enhances the inclusivity and sustainability of the programs. Exercises performed at students' desks enable participation by all students, thereby supporting physical and psychosocial development.

Physical activity boosts not only health indicators but also self-esteem, social adjustment, and life satisfaction in children. Establishing a routine of morning exercises at school also fosters the development of life skills such as empathy, cooperation, and emotional resilience. Making physical activity a routine at an early age lays the foundation for lifelong healthy behaviors.

Studies conducted in our country involving primary and secondary school students have generally been screening studies; there is no research that specifically pioneers the investigation of morning exercises and their effectiveness.

This project was planned to incorporate short exercises-which can be performed at their own desks within the classroom-into the daily routine, with the aim of supporting school-age children's skills in body awareness, flexibility, postural control, focus, and stress management.

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.
130

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

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Kartal
      • Istanbul, Kartal, Turkey (Türkiye), 34862
        • İstanbul Medeniyet Üniversitesi

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

6 years to 12 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Volunteers who are between the ages of 6 and 12,
  • Attend schools affiliated with the Kartal District Directorate of National Education,
  • and-after the purpose of the research and the procedures have been explained to the students and their families-agree to participate on a voluntary basis and sign the informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children who have any condition preventing them from completing self-report scales during the assessment (inability to understand the forms, physical impairment, lack of literacy skills) Who have sustained an upper or lower extremity injury within the last 6 months, Who have undergone upper or lower extremity surgery within the last 6 months, Who have any soft tissue disease, Who are diagnosed with a serious gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, or hematological system disease following a specialist physician examination Who have known spinal problems such as scoliosis, kyphosis, or kyphoscoliosis Who have been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or autism spectrum disorder Who have a history of epilepsy or severe head trauma Or who use psychotropic medication will not be included in the project

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Primary school-aged children

healthy primary school-aged children
Other: Classroom-Based Morning Exercise Program

Exercises generally consist of movements that can be done sitting at a desk or standing next to a desk, and do not require equipment. It includes exercises for warming up, stretching, strengthening, balance and relaxation, lasting 10-15 minutes and suitable for daily use.

It starts with a deep breathing exercise, continues with basic strength and flexibility exercises that mobilize the body, and ends with a deep breathing exercise again. Exercises that can be performed both sitting and standing are presented together.

During the transitions between movements, small exercises such as "waving the hands" are also included as a break.

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
FACES Pain Scale
Time Frame: from enrollment to the end of the program at 16 weeks

Pain assessment in children will be conducted using the Faces (FACES) Pain Scale. This is a visual scale developed to assess pain intensity, particularly in individuals-such as children-who cannot clearly express themselves verbally (Hicks, von Baeyer et al. 2001). The scale features a total of six facial images, progressing from a happy expression to expressions indicating increasing levels of pain. Children rate their pain by selecting the face that best represents how they feel. Widely used for children aged three and older, this scale is a trusted choice in clinical and field studies due to its ease of understanding and rapid administration. Researchers will show the children the various facial images on the scale and ask them to select the face that best reflects their state, thereby determining the pain score.
from enrollment to the end of the program at 16 weeks

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
Sit and Reach Test
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of the program at 16 weeks

The Sit-and-Reach Test is a common and practical physical fitness test used to evaluate the flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles, particularly in children (Şahiner and Balcı 2010). Due to its ease of administration, minimal equipment requirements, and practicality, it is ideal for the mass assessment of flexibility in school-aged children. During the test, children sit barefoot on a flat surface, extend their legs forward, and place the soles of their feet firmly against the test box or platform. They are asked to reach forward as far as possible with their hands stacked on top of each other, without bending their knees; the maximum distance reached is measured and recorded in centimeters. The test will be conducted using the sit-and-reach test apparatus located in the laboratory of the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at Istanbul Medeniyet University's Faculty of Health Sciences.
From enrollment to the end of the program at 16 weeks
Children Body Image Scale
Time Frame: from enrollment to the end of the program at 16 weeks

The scale is a psychometric assessment tool used to measure body image, body satisfaction, and body-related feelings or attitudes in children (Collins 1991). It typically utilizes images of gender-appropriate body silhouettes, and children are asked to select the silhouette that most closely resembles their own body and the one representing the body they would like to have. Body dissatisfaction is then assessed by scoring the discrepancy between the perceived current body and the ideal body. During the administration of the scale, children are shown a series of silhouettes arranged according to age and gender. The researcher asks questions such as "Which body looks most like yours?" and "Which body would you like to have?" to prompt the child to select one silhouette from each row, and the difference between the two is scored.
from enrollment to the end of the program at 16 weeks
WHO-5 Well-Being Index
Time Frame: from enrollment to the end of the program at 16 weeks

The assessment of the children's general well-being will be conducted using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. The WHO-5 Well-Being Index is a short, 5-item self-report scale developed by the World Health Organization to assess individuals' psychological well-being over the past two weeks (Sischka, Martin et al. 2025). Each item is scored from 0 (at no time) to 5 (all the time), yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 25. A higher score indicates better psychological well-being. Using this index, children will be asked how well they have felt over the past two weeks and to rate their feelings.
from enrollment to the end of the program at 16 weeks
School Burnout Scale
Time Frame: from enrollment to the end of the program at 16 weeks

Participants' school burnout will be assessed using the School Burnout Scale. In its original form, the scale is a 5-point Likert-type, self-report instrument consisting of 10 items and three sub-dimensions. It was developed by Salmela-Aro et al. in 2009 to determine the school burnout levels of primary and secondary school students and was adapted to Turkish culture by Seçer et al. (2013). Regarding the distribution of items across factors, items 1, 4, 7, and 9 fall under the emotional exhaustion dimension; items 2, 5, and 6 fall under the cynicism sub-dimension; and items 3 and 8 fall under the low sense of personal accomplishment sub-dimension. Participants will be asked to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with statements concerning their motivation regarding lessons and school, and their responses will be recorded.
from enrollment to the end of the program at 16 weeks

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.
Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

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.
October 1, 2026

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.
March 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.
March 30, 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).
October 1, 2026

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.
October 1, 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.
October 6, 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.
October 19, 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.
October 14, 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.
October 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.
  • IUC-IMU

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings