GoActive Technical summary

GoActive was developed to answer a clear need for effective health promotion programmes to increase physical activity levels in adolescents. A 10-minute increase in moderate-to-vigorous activity was associated with a smaller waist circumference and lower fasting insulin among young people in a large international study. However, over 10 minutes/day of PA every year is replaced by sedentary time between 9/10 years and13/14 years-of-age. Insufficient activity is a risk factor for obesity and related metabolic disorders in youth. Moreover, low PA in adolescence is likely to progress to adulthood inactivity, which is linked to increased risk of many diseases including type 2 diabetes, cancer and also premature mortality. Given that pubertal, brain and social development during adolescence leads to new capacity for health behaviours, increasing the likelihood of long term change, adolescence is a critical period to increase PA, with potential for long term public health benefits.

• Aims of the study
• Design
• Chief/Principal investigators
• Co-investigators
• Status
• Unit role
• Sponsors
• Partners and stakeholders
• Funding
• Data sharing

Aims of the study

The specific aims of GoActive were:

• To assess the post-intervention and 10 month effectiveness of the GoActive programme to increase average (including weekday and weekend) daily objectively measured MVPA among 13-14 year old adoelscents.
• To assess the effect of GoActive on the following secondary outcomes: (i) Objectively assessed activity intensities during school time, weekday evenings and weekends (sedentary, light, moderate and vigorous activity); including change in intensity distribution (ii) Student- reported physical activity participation, self-efficacy, peer support, group cohesion, self-esteem, friendship quality, well-being and school and individual attendance and academic performance (iii) Body composition
• To assess short term (within-trial) and potential long term cost-effectiveness of the programme
• To assess programme acceptability, facilitators, barriers, uptake, maintenance and dose
• To investigate potential moderation of intervention effects by sex, socio-economic status, ethnicity, baseline activity level and weight status, and to explore potential mechanisms effect by proposed mediators using a mixed-methods approach

Design

A two-arm school-based cluster randomised controlled trial primarily assessing whether the GoActive intervention increases daily MVPA in 13-14 year olds at 10 month follow up. After baseline measurements, schools were randomly allocated to deliver the GoActive intervention to the whole of Year 9, or to a no-treatment control group. This is because we endeavoured to follow up these adolescents at a later date and therefore, we did not want to compromise the potential of long term follow-up in this sample. This protocol was conducted and reported in accordance with SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) guidance. Participant data collection occured at baseline, 6 weeks, 14-16 weeks and 10 months. Cost effectiveness was assessed and a mixed-methods process evaluation explored intervention acceptability, barriers and facilitators to participation and maintenance, ideas for improvement and potential mechanisms of effect.

Primary outcome

The primary outcome is change in daily accelerometer-assessed moderate-to-vigorous PA.

Secondary outcomes

Secondary outcomes included:

• Accelerometer-assessed sedentary, light, overall physical activity during school time, weekday evenings, weekends
• Self-reported physical activity, self-efficacy, self-esteem, peer support, friendship quality, diet quality, sleep, mood, school-reported absence and academic performance, body fat%, BMI
• Within-trial, long-term cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses
• Mixed methods process evaluation assessing a) programme acceptability, uptake, maintenance, and dose; and b) putative moderators/mediators

In addition, within-trial cost-effectiveness will be expressed as incremental costs per increment change in physical activity (METs). Long term cost-effectiveness will assess whether the intervention is likely to increase length and/or quality of life, and at what cost. Focus groups and interviews (mentors/teachers/students) will also explore programme acceptability, barriers, facilitators, potential mechanisms of effect and population group differences.

• Download the GoActive Analysis Plan

Chief/Principal investigator

Dr Kirsten Corder – University of Cambridge

Co-Investigators

Dr Esther van Sluijs – University of Cambridge

Dr Ed Wilson – University of Cambridge

Dr Anna Vignoles – University of Cambridge

Dr Caroline Croxson – University of Oxford

Dr Paul Wilkinson – University of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Stephanie Jong – University of Cambridge

Dr Helen Brown – The Behavioural Insights Team (previously University of Cambridge)

Status

Completed.

Unit role

Unit led study with responsibility for data.

Sponsors

The study is sponsored by the University of Cambridge.

Partners and Stakeholders

Cambridgeshire County Council

Essex County Council

Funding

The pilot study was funded by the University of Cambridge (UK) – UK CRC Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR). The cluster randomised controlled trial is funded by National Institute of Health Research Public Health Research grant (NIHR-PHR) 13/90/18

Data sharing

Please see our Data Sharing pages.