None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
TransformUs is a behavioural school-based intervention targeting reducing sedentary behaviour and increasing physical activity that will be rolled out across Australian secondary schools. This is an adaption of a previously registered successful trial: Scalability of the Transform-Us! program to promote children’s physical activity and reduce prolonged sitting in Victorian primary schools (ACTRN12617000204347) for the Australian secondary school setting. To determine real world effectiveness and maintenance (at the individual level), a stepped wedge waitlist control design with follow up will be used. A sub-sample of 10 schools from different socioeconomic urban and rural areas of Victoria and Tasmania will be selected. Our findings will determine the effectiveness of the program in Australian Secondary Schools so that it can be rolled out nationally and become part of routine best practice.
Interventions
TransformUs is a school-based intervention targeting reducing sedentary behaviour and increasing physical activity that will be rolled out across Australian secondary schools.
Overall duration of the intervention is 6 months i.e., the follow-up evaluation will be at 6 months for both the Effectiveness Trial and Implementation Trial. The effectiveness and implementation trials will run parallel to one another. Schools can only be involved in one trial, not both. Frequency and duration of each st
TransformUs is a school-based intervention targeting reducing sedentary behaviour and increasing physical activity that will be rolled out across Australian secondary schools. Overall duration of the intervention is 6 months i.e., the follow-up evaluation will be at 6 months for both the Effectiveness Trial and Implementation Trial. The effectiveness and implementation trials will run parallel to one another. Schools can only be involved in one trial, not both. Frequency and duration of each strategy will vary between the schools, teachers and students. Each of these components will include a repertoire of activities that teachers could choose and implement differently across the day. However, we are expecting that: - Active breaks are short (up to 2-minutes) activities that interrupt prolonged periods (e.g., 20-30 minutes) of sitting in class. They can be incorporated into any class lesson. At least one active break should be planned for and delivered in each core lesson. For example: Active bingo, active grammar, chair yoga). - Active lessons are longer sessions (e.g., 30 minutes) directly linked to the curriculum and involve integrating movement into the student learning experience. For example: times table teams (Maths), relay story (English). - Active recreation (active play and recreation activities, before school, during school [recess and lunch included], after school) will depend on the length of each school breaks. Organised or non-organised activities frequency and length will also depend on the students likes, for example: Organised lunchtime Sports/activities could include Activity incursion: circus skills; Cross year level: Sports/activities (e.g. Basketball, Soccer, Netball); Year level activity: Activity (e.g. Ultimate frisbee, Dodge ball, Finska). - Changes in the school environment (i.e., active indoor/outdoor environment, active equipment, teacher encouragement [champion], active school policies). For example: Borrowing system for active equipment at lunchtime; standing desks; use of sport uniform during whole week. Teachers will be encouraged to implement the strategies as much as possible into their lessons. They also will be asked to encourage students to participate in the activities outside the classroom. The teacher will participate in a teacher development session (online or face to face, lasting for 30 minutes to 1 hour in duration). All the program resources, including a downloadable version of the teacher training, will be available through the TransformUs website. We will provide continuous communication and support from the TransformUs Team and a ‘champion teacher’ within the school to encourage engagement with the TransformUs resources. For both the Effectiveness and Implementation Trials, the monitoring of the strategies will be including Ecological Momentary Assessment (during the intervention period) and the teacher survey. Both trials will also utilise interviews (at the end of the intervention – i.e., after 6 months).
Sponsors
Deakin University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Other
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
11 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
IMPLEMENTATION TRIAL •As this is a real-world trial, all Australian secondary schools and school staff are eligible to register. •In 2023, there were 1453 secondary schools (Government and Independent schools) across the Australia (ABS 2020). TransformUs Primary (2018-23), reached 25% of primary schools over 4 years23, however, because of the shorter timeframe for this trial we are expecting that no more than 5% of eligible schools will register for the program via the TransformUs Secondary website, which equates to approximately ~70 schools. Based on response rates from TransformUs Primary trial, we expect that no more than 40% of school staff will consent to take part in the research component. *Note: ethical approval will be sought from each State/Territory’s equivalent of the Victorian Department of Education and Training for the research component. EFFECTIVENESS TRIAL •Schools: The effectiveness trial will be conducted in a sample of Victorian secondary schools. Schools that meet the following criteria will be eligible to participate in the study: (1) Government, Independent, and Catholic secondary schools; (2) have >200 students in Years 7–10; and (3) not fully elective/sports/performing arts/agriculture/boarding schools. •School staff (leaders): 1 nominated school leader per school (n=10) •Year 7-10 teaching school staff at the Effectiveness trial schools will be invited to test the effectiveness of the program. *may be targeted depending on which teachers are delivering the intervention e.g. if maths is selected maths teachers (n=80) •All year 7-10 students from Effectiveness trial schools will be invited to participate in the evaluation of the intervention (n=600)
Exclusion criteria
IMPLEMENTATION TRIAL •Any registrant working at a Catholic school will not be invited to take part in the research component (surveys, EMA’s or interviews). This is an operational decision as it would require applications to conduct research in these schools to approx. 25 separate dioceses across the country. EFFECTIVENESS TRIAL •Teachers who only teach years 11 or 12 and students in year 11 and 12 will not be recruited into the Effectiveness Trial. This is due to the timing of follow-up assessments coinciding with when end-of-year exams are likely to take place.
Outcome results
None listed