"We Are an Active Family": Promoting Child Physical Activity Through Social Identity Formation in the Family System

The purpose of our study is to explore the effectiveness of physical activity (PA) identity formation in the family system as a promotor of long-term PA. The primary research question is:

Does a family identity formation condition (with education+planning) result in increased child moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) compared to a standard comparison education and planning condition at six months? Hypothesis: Child MVPA will be higher for the identity formation condition in comparison to the more standard PA education+planning condition at six months.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Physical Activity; Social Identity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Social Identity

Detailed Description

The secondary research questions will include:

1. Does the identity formation condition improve child health-related fitness outcomes compared to the education and planning condition at six months? Hypothesis: Child health-related fitness will be higher for the identity formation condition in comparison to the education and planning condition.
2. Can group differences among behavioural, and health-related fitness outcomes be explained through a mediation model? Hypothesis: The covariance of the assigned conditions (identity formation, planning + education) on child MVPA will be explained by parental support, and through parental support identity (i.e., manipulation check). In turn, the covariance between support and health-related outcomes will be explained by MVPA among conditions. In the case of null outcomes for research question #1, the investigators will instead explore a prediction model of these variables rather than a mediation model.
3. Is there an intergenerational, seasonal, or sex difference across primary outcomes by assigned condition? Hypothesis: Parents in the identity formation condition will show higher physical activity via some activities being performed with their children (as part of social identity) in comparison to the other condition. No differences in child sex or season are hypothesized based on past research.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 148
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Evie Streight, MSc.; Phone Number: 250 472 5288; Email: bml@uvic.ca
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Sandy Courtnall; Email: bml@uvic.ca

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z1
      • Not yet recruiting
      • Psychology of Exercise, Health, and Physical Activity (PEHPA) Laboratory, University of British Columbia
      • Contact: Mark Beauchamp, PhD; Phone Number: 001 (604) 822 9140; Email: mark.beauchamp@ubc.ca
    • Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8P-5C2
      • Recruiting
      • Behavioural Medicine Lab, University of Victoria
      • Principal Investigator: Ryan Rhodes, PhD
      • Contact: Evie Streight; Phone Number: 250 472 5288; Email: bml@uvic.ca

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 6 years to 12 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants will be at least one parent with at least one child between the ages of 6 and 12 years.
• Families (parents and/or guardians and children) residing in Greater Victoria, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Duncan, Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby, British Columbia.
• Children that participate in <60 minutes/day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA)

Exclusion Criteria:

• If child is meeting the current physical activity guidelines >=60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day.
• If participant does not pass Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: PA education and planning condition; This group will receive sessions and information-based booklet and series of worksheets that provide a tangible knowledge translation product for the family. The material will consist of Canada's PA guidelines recommending 60 minutes of MVPA a day and a breakdown of ways for the parent to help their child achieve this PA, outlining three main domains of parental support (encouragement, logistical support, and PA together). The material also contains information about the benefits of PA for the child and how to plan for family PA. The material specifically includes a brainstorming exercise for parents where they list physical activities they think their children have found fun in the past. The investigators will provide this material as prompts/suggestions. This list helps create the template for PA planning by contextualizing what the parents would like to do with their kids. An additional two sessions will include education and planning material related to family healthy eating.
Experimental: Identity formation condition; This group will receive the same content as the education+planning comparison condition but with two additional coaching sessions. The session will include short overviews of the benefits of PA as a family, brainstorming how a family can each assist each other in PA, and an activity for developing a family PA action plan. Behavior change techniques that align with these approaches and are included in the coaching session include identity salience, identity similarity, as well as identity fit and contrast. This will be supplemented by an organization of fun family PA roles for all members (e.g., activity planner, goal setter, supporter, etc.) to instill involvement as well as items (creation of a family PA t-shirt, family PA photos and display, etc.) to instill distinctiveness, which is a central feature of a social identity.	Behavioral: Social Identity; This group will receive the same content as the education+planning as well as two additional sessions. This includes short overviews of the benefits of PA as a family, brainstorming how a family can each assist each other in PA, and an activity for developing a family PA action plan. Behavior change techniques such as identity salience, identity similarity, and identity fit and contrast are included in the coaching session include. This will be supplemented by an organization of fun family PA roles for all members (e.g., activity planner, goal setter, supporter, etc.) to instill involvement as well as items (creation of a family PA t-shirt, family PA photos and display, etc.) to instill distinctiveness, which is a central feature of a social identity. Worksheets and discussion will be included. The second session will involve only the parent(s) to focus on parental support identity and the content is based on the behavior change principles of self-identity theory.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline in children's moderate to vigorous physical activity to 6 months	Children's physical activity will be quantified by accelerometry. Children will wear an accelerometer for a minimum of 6 hours per day for 7 days at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months.	Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Parent-child intergenerational activity via seven-day accelerometry	Accelerometer model has a Bluetooth proximity detection feature that can determine the presence (e.g., same room in a house, at the park together) or absence of close proximity between two accelerometers. The outcome variable will be average minutes per day parents and children were both engaging in physical activity at the same time while in close proximity.	Baseline - 6 months
Parent-child intergenerational activity measured via parent self-report	For self-reported PA, the the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire will be used.	Baseline - 6 months
Body Composition - Weight	Weight (kg)	Baseline - 6 months
Body Composition - Height	Height (cm)	Baseline - 6 months
Body Composition - Waist Circumference	Waist circumference (cm)	Baseline - 6 months
Body Composition - Percentage Body Fat	Percentage body fat will be measured using a bioelectric impedance scale	Baseline - 6 months
Musculoskeletal Fitness	Measured using grip strength	Baseline - 6 months
Musculoskeletal Endurance	Measured doing curl ups and push ups	Baseline - 6 months
Musculoskeletal Power	Measured doing vertical jump test	Baseline - 6 months
Musculoskeletal Flexibility	Measured doing sit and reach test	Baseline - 6 months
Social Identity	Measured by standardized measurement scale - 1-7 Likert-type scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree)	Baseline - 6 months
The Multi-Process Action Control (MPAC) Constructs - Instrumental Attitude	Measured by standardized measurement scale - 1-7 Likert-type scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree)	Baseline - 6 months
The Multi-Process Action Control (MPAC) Constructs - Affective Judgements	Measured by standardized measurement scale - 1-7 Likert-type scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree)	Baseline - 6 months
The Multi-Process Action Control (MPAC) Constructs - Perceived Capability	Measured by standardized measurement scale - 1-7 Likert-type scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree)	Baseline - 6 months
The Multi-Process Action Control (MPAC) Constructs - Perceived Opportunity	Measured by standardized measurement scale - 1-7 Likert-type scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree)	Baseline - 6 months
Cardiovascular Fitness (ie: predicted maximal aerobic power)	Will be assessed during a submaximal exercise test called the mCAFT Step Test	Baseline - 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Victoria
• Collaborators: Diabetes Canada
• Investigators: Study Chair: Mark Beauchamp, PhD, University of British Columbia; Study Chair: Valerie Carson, PhD, University of Alberta; Study Chair: Chris Blanshard, PhD, Dalhousie University; Study Chair: Kurt Smith, PhD, University of Victoria; Study Chair: Shaelyn Strachan, PhD, University of Manitoba; Study Chair: Leigh Vanderloo, PhD, ParticipACTION; Principal Investigator: Ryan Rhodes, PhD, University of Victoria

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 10, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 2, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): April 3, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 3, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 31, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Type 2 Diabetes; Childhood obesity; Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA); Identity formation
• Other Study ID Numbers: 23-0022

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