School-based Intervention to Support Active Travel (PULSE)

School-based Intervention to Support Active Travel. This Study is Part of the Research Project "ULSE - Promoting Active School Travel to Improve Mood and Performance".

"PULSE - School-based intervention" is a feasibility study designed to support active travel among adolescents. The curricular intervention is designed to increase the students' health literacy as well as their autonomous motivation for active travel. The intervention will last for 6 weeks during fall 2023. The first session will be delivered by a science and education center, and the consecutive sessions will be delivered by teachers. PULSE sessions will contribute to the attainment of specific competence aims related to two interdisciplinary topics, "Health and life skills" and "Sustainability", as defined in PE, social science, and science. The research question is the following: Can increased attention to the barriers and benefits of active travel increase physical activity for youths?

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Physical Inactivity; Health Literacy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: PULSE school-based intervention

Detailed Description

Previous reviews and meta-analyses of school-based active travel interventions have found educational strategies to be the most effective. However, previous intervention studies are heterogeneous, and the majority demonstrate poor intervention quality and a lack of description of the interventions. The present study has developed a theory-based educational intervention designed to increase knowledge and empower behavioral change. To ensure local relevance, quality, effectiveness, and sustainability, the intervention has been developed by means of a co-creation process during five collaborative workshops. Participants were a combination of researchers, educators from the science center, representative of the municipality initiative Global Active City in addition to representatives of the teachers from the schools which are to implement the intervention. The intervention is designed to support learning, self-regulation, and autonomous motivation for sustained behavioral change. The theoretical framework is guided by the Self-determination theory developed by Deci and Ryan. The learning activities are predominantly student active and often group-based, introduced by short videos and teacher instructions. The intervention is designed to support three basic psychological needs that, according to the Self-determination theory, are pivotal for motivation and behavioral change: (1) students' need for autonomy and agency related to active travel, (2) their need for relatedness and social support in their efforts to make lifestyle changes when faced with personal, social, and structural barriers, and (3) their need for mastery and competence.

The following data will be collected:

• Questionnaire to students, pre and post
• Document of implementation and adoption completed by teachers
• Group interviews with students who participate in the intervention
• Interviews with teachers who deliver the interviews

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 200
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Cathrine N Pedersen, PhD; Phone Number: 0047 95280687; Email: cathrine.pedersen@nifu.no
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Siv-Elisabeth N Skjelbred, PhD; Phone Number: 0047 92053304; Email: siv-elisabeth.skjelbred@nifu.no

Study Locations

• Norway
  • Oslo, Norway, 0608
    • Recruiting
    • NIFU Nordic Institute for Studies of innovation, research and education
    • Contact: Cay Gjerustad, PhD; Phone Number: 0047 93638313; Email: cay.gjerustad@nifu.no

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Student in 9. grade at the 4 intervention schools

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Students in 9. grade participating in a school-based intervention; Students from 9. grade at 4 schools in a Norwegian municipality. The students will take part in a school and curriculum based intervention delivered by a combination of educators from a science center (1 session) and teachers (5 sessions)

Behavioral: PULSE school-based intervention; "PULSE - School-based intervention" is a feasibility study designed to support active travel among adolescents. The curricular intervention is designed to increase the students' health literacy as well as their autonomous motivation for active travel. The intervention will last for 6 weeks during fall 2023. The first session will be delivered by a science and education center, and the consecutive sessions will be delivered by teachers. PULSE sessions will contribute to the attainment of specific competence aims related to two interdisciplinary topics, "Health and life skills" and "Sustainability", as defined in PE, social science, and science. The research question is the following: Can increased attention to the barriers and benefits of active travel increase physical activity for youths?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Active travel habits	Number of days per week where students walk or use bicycle to/from school or during leisure time activities	8-10 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Health literacy	Knowledge about the health benefits of active travel, and where needed information about active travel can be found	8-10 weeks
Autonomous motivation for active travel	The students identify with the health, well-being and sustainability benefits of active travel or enjoy their active travels	8-10 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Nordic Institute for Studies of Innovation, Research and Education
• Collaborators: University of Agder; The Institute of Transport Economics, Norway; Fredrikstad municipality, Norway; INSPIRIA Science Center, Norway

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Research project website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2023
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 27, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 27, 2023
• First Posted (Estimated): December 5, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 5, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 27, 2023
• Last Verified: November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Feasibility study; Active travel; Curriculum-based school intervention
• Other Study ID Numbers: 21364

Drug and device information, study documents

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