Active Dads Healthy Families

Active Dads Healthy Families: Promoting Physical Activity and Enhancing Father-child Relationships Through Parks and Recreation

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a community-delivered physical activity program for fathers and their children ages 2-5 years.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Health Behavior
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Active Dads Healthy Families: Outdoor Education; Behavioral: Active Dads Healthy Families: Fitness

Detailed Description

The investigators will evaluate the feasibility of a community-based father-child physical activity promotion program. The investigators will work with a local Parks and Recreation department to recruit and deliver programming to three cohorts of fathers and their children 2-5 years old. To evaluate program feasibility, the investigators will assess recruitment efforts, program attendance, and participant engagement and satisfaction with the program. The investigators will also assess change in father-child outcomes post program including objectively measured physical activity, fathers' parenting, and father involvement.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 24
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27701
      • Durham Parks and Recreation

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Father or father figure to child between the ages 2-5 years
• Father or father figure 18+ years
• Can speak and read in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Father or child has a physical disability precluding them from being physically active

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Active Dads Healthy Families: Outdoor Education; The intervention will include outdoor education and physical activity opportunities at various outdoor parks. The program will be held one day a week for eight consecutive weeks. Parks and Recreation will facilitate and run the program. Each session will last 60 minutes and include a brief educational discussion and opportunities for various games and activities. Each session will have a special theme relevant to the outdoors. Families will also receive a home toolbox to facilitate activity and learning outside of the program. Feedback on physical activity will be provided at the beginning and the end of the program.	Behavioral: Active Dads Healthy Families: Outdoor Education; The intervention will include outdoor education and physical activity opportunities at various outdoor parks. The program will be held one day a week for eight consecutive weeks. Parks and Recreation will facilitate and run the program. Each session will last 60 minutes and include a brief educational discussion and opportunities for various games and activities. Each session will have a special theme relevant to the outdoors. Families will also receive a home toolbox to facilitate activity and learning outside of the program. Feedback on physical activity will be provided at the beginning and the end of the program.
Experimental: Active Dads Healthy Families: Fitness; The intervention will include physical activity opportunities at a community center. The program will be held one day a week for eight consecutive weeks. Parks and Recreation will facilitate and run the program. Each session will last 60 minutes and include a brief educational discussion and opportunities for various games and activities. Families will also receive a home toolbox to facilitate activity outside of the program. Feedback on physical activity will be provided at the beginning and the end of the program.	Behavioral: Active Dads Healthy Families: Fitness; The intervention will include physical activity opportunities at a community center. The program will be held one day a week for eight consecutive weeks. Parks and Recreation will facilitate and run the program. Each session will last 60 minutes and include a brief educational discussion and opportunities for various games and activities. Families will also receive a home toolbox to facilitate activity outside of the program. Feedback on physical activity will be provided at the beginning and the end of the program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Recruitment as measured by number of participants who enroll		Baseline
Attendance as measured by number of participants present at each session		Baseline through 8 weeks
Degree of participation in physical activity during each session	As measured by observation using the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) instrument, activity scores range from 1 "lying down" to 5 "vigorous"	Baseline through 8 weeks
Percent of participants satisfied with the program as measured by self-report evaluation survey	Self-report program evaluation survey; 13 items with responses ranging from 1 "strongly disagree" to 5 "strongly agree"	8 weeks
Percent of participants who complete all study measures		Baseline
Percent of participants who complete all study measures		8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in moderate to vigorous physical activity as measured by accelerometry	Child objectively measured physical activity	Baseline, 8 weeks
Change in moderate to vigorous physical activity as measured by accelerometry	Father objectively measured physical activity	Baseline, 8 weeks
Change in father support for child physical activity as measured by father self-report	15-item engagement subscale score from the Preschool Physical Activity Parenting Practices instrument, scored by calculating mean of items (range 1-5), higher scores indicate greater parent engagement	Baseline, 8 weeks
Change in father physical activity psychological control as measured by father self-report	5-item psychological control subscale score from the Preschool Physical Activity Parenting Practices instrument, scored by calculating mean of items (range 1-5), higher scores indicate greater parent psychological control	Baseline, 8 weeks
Change in father involvement in physical play as measured by father self-report	9-item scale about father involvement in physical play, scored by calculating the mean of all items (range 1-6), with higher scores indicating greater father involvement	Baseline, 8 weeks
Change in father involvement in care-giving as measured by father self-report	13-item scale about father involvement in care-giving, scored by calculating the mean of all items (range 1-6), with higher scores indicate greater father involvement	Baseline, 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Duke University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sarah C Armstrong, MD, Duke University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 17, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 5, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): November 5, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 30, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 6, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): August 7, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 11, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 7, 2022
• Last Verified: July 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: physical activity; exercise; parenting; father; family-based
• Other Study ID Numbers: Pro00106052

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No