Physical Activity, Calcium, and Bone in Children

June 3, 2013 updated by: South Dakota State University

Calcium Modifies Bone Response to Activity in Children

Doctors recommend that young children participate in daily physical activity to promote bone health. However, studies in adults show that physical activity and increased calcium intake cause noticeable benefits for bone health only when both factors occur together. The goal of this study is to find out whether calcium intake changes the response of bone to activity in children 3 to 4 years old. Children will participate in one of two programs conducted in childcare centers 5 days a week for 1 year. One program will involve activities that use large muscles (gross motor activity). The other will involve activities using small muscles (fine motor activity). We will give a calcium supplement (1 gram per day) to half of the children in each program and give the other half an inactive pill. We will measure bone mass and bone mineral density at the beginning and end of the study. We will take measurements 12 months after the program's completion to see if physical activity and/or calcium supplements have long-term effects on bone mineral density and physical activity.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Participation in daily physical activity programs by young children is currently recommended as a means of promoting bone health. Results from studies of adults indicate that beneficial effects of either physical activity or calcium (Ca) intake may be apparent only when both these factors are present. Our results in infants indicate that physical activity combined with a low Ca diet may be detrimental in terms of bone mass accretion. The overall objective of this study is to determine whether Ca intake modifies the bone response to activity in young children 3 to 4 years of age.

Our hypotheses are that (1) the increase in bone mass resulting from a physical activity program will be more pronounced in children randomized to receive a Ca supplement compared to the increase in children randomized to receive a placebo; and (2) 12 months after cessation of the activity program, bone mass will remain higher in children randomized to gross motor activity compared to children randomized to fine motor activity, and the beneficial effect of Ca supplementation will persist only among children randomized to gross motor activity. We will test these hypotheses in a randomized 2 x 2 factorial trial in 3- to 4-year-old children. We will randomize children into either a gross motor or fine motor activity program that will be conducted in childcare centers 5 days a week for 1 year. We will further randomize each child into either a Ca supplement (1 g/d) or placebo group.

The primary outcomes of the study are bone mass accretion and changes in bone mineral density, which we will determine by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at the beginning and end of the study. We will do activity assessments throughout the study period to determine whether participation in the gross motor activity group also increases spontaneous activity in these children. Anthropometric measurements and dietary information will allow us to statistically control for these potential confounders. We will obtain additional bone mass and physical activity measurements 12 months after completion of the program to determine if these interventions have long-term effects on bone mineral density and physical activity.

A finding of beneficial effects of Ca supplementation or physical activity, either independent of each other or in combination, will lay the groundwork for devising prevention strategies within the educational system that optimize bone health beginning early in life. However, we may find that increased physical activity in the presence of a low to moderate Ca intake may have a detrimental effect on bone mass accretion during periods of rapid growth.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

224

Phase

  • Phase 2

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

  • United States
    • South Dakota
      • Brookings, South Dakota, United States, 57007
        • South Dakota State University

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

Ages Eligible for Study

3 years to 4 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Enrolled in participating childcare center.
  • Does not plan to attend kindergarten or withdraw from center in the next 12 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Chronic disease that may interfere with growth and bone mass accretion (cystic fibrosis, liver disease, asthma that is being treated with steroids, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, immobilization).

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: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

South Dakota State University

Collaborators

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Bonny Specker, PhD, South Dakota State University

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

April 1, 1998

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 1, 2003

Study Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2003

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 3, 1999

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 3, 1999

First Posted (Estimate)

November 4, 1999

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

June 4, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 3, 2013

Last Verified

June 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R01AR045310 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • NIAMS-010

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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