The Effect of Traditional Children's Games on Internet Use Stress Level of Primary School Students
Effect of a Nurse-Led Traditional Children's Games on Internet Use and Stress Levels in Middle School Students: A Randomized Controlled Study
his randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led traditional children's games program on weekly internet use and perceived stress among middle school students in Türkiye. Students who used the internet for more than two hours per day were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group.
The intervention group participated in a structured traditional children's games program for 60 minutes, three times per week for eight weeks, while the control group continued their usual school activities. Weekly internet use and perceived stress were assessed before and after the intervention. The study evaluated whether participation in traditional children's games could reduce internet use and perceived stress and support school-based health promotion led by nurses.
Study Overview
Status
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Detailed Description
This randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led traditional children's games program on reducing internet use and perceived stress among middle school students in Türkiye.
Excessive internet use among children has become an important public health concern because of its association with psychological stress, physical inactivity, sleep problems, and psychosocial difficulties. Traditional children's games are culturally relevant, physically active, group-based activities that may provide a healthy alternative to excessive screen time while promoting children's physical, emotional, and social well-being.
The study employed a pre-test/post-test, parallel-group randomized controlled design. Eligible students who used the internet for more than two hours per day were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. Randomization was performed using a computer-generated random allocation sequence created through Randomizer.org by an independent statistical expert.
The intervention consisted of an eight-week traditional children's games program implemented by a nurse researcher as an extracurricular school-based activity. Students in the intervention group participated in 60-minute sessions three times per week under researcher supervision. The games were selected from the Traditional Children's Games Festival Games Guide published by the Turkish Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Activities included structured, age-appropriate group games such as Duck, Duck, Goose, Hide and Seek, Handkerchief Grab, Dodgeball, and Jump Rope, emphasizing physical activity, teamwork, communication, attention, and self-regulation.
Participants in the control group continued their routine school curriculum, including regular physical education classes, without receiving any additional intervention.
Primary study outcomes were weekly internet use duration and perceived stress levels. Weekly internet use duration was obtained from parental reports using a descriptive characteristics questionnaire, whereas perceived stress was assessed using the Turkish version of the Perceived Stress Scale for Children (8-11 years). Measurements were performed before the intervention and within one week after completion of the eight-week program.
The primary objective was to determine whether participation in traditional children's games reduced weekly internet use and perceived stress compared with usual school activities. The study also aimed to provide evidence supporting the role of school nurses in implementing culturally appropriate, school-based health promotion interventions designed to encourage healthy technology use and improve children's psychosocial well-being.
Study Type
Enrollment (Actual)
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
Study Locations
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Konya
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Konya, Konya, Turkey (Türkiye), 42000
- Necmettin Erbakan University
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Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Child
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Students enrolled in the 5th or 6th grade.
- Aged 10-12 years.
- Daily internet use of more than 2 hours.
- Written informed consent obtained from a parent or legal guardian.
- Child assent obtained before participation.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Having a physical, orthopedic, or mental illness or disability that could interfere with participation in the intervention.
- Regular participation in organized sports activities or sporting events.
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Prevention
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: None (Open Label)
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
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Experimental: İntervention Group
Participants in the intervention group received a nurse-led traditional children's games program conducted as an extracurricular school-based activity.
The program consisted of 60-minute sessions, three times per week for eight weeks.
Age-appropriate traditional Turkish children's games involving physical activity, teamwork, cooperation, and social interaction were implemented under the supervision of the researcher.
Games were selected from the Traditional Children's Games Festival Guide published by the Turkish Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
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Participants received a nurse-led traditional children's games program consisting of 60-minute sessions, three times per week for eight weeks.
The intervention included age-appropriate traditional Turkish children's games conducted as an extracurricular school-based activity under researcher supervision.
Other Names:
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Active Comparator: Control Group
Participants continued their usual school curriculum, including regular physical education classes, without receiving the traditional children's games program.
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Participants continued their usual school curriculum, including regular physical education classes, and did not receive the traditional children's games program.
Other Names:
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What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Weekly Internet Use Duration
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8 (immediately after the intervention)
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Weekly internet use duration (hours/week) reported by parents using the Descriptive Characteristics Form
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Baseline and Week 8 (immediately after the intervention)
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Perceived Stress Scale for Children Total Score
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8 (immediately after the intervention)
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Perceived stress assessed using the Turkish version of the Perceived Stress Scale for Children (8-11 years).
Total scores range from 9 to 36, with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress.
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Baseline and Week 8 (immediately after the intervention)
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Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Actual)
Primary Completion (Actual)
Study Completion (Actual)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- Sbati
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
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