A cluster randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of an individual planning intervention with collaborative planning in adolescent friendship dyads to enhance physical activity (TWOgether)

Effects of physical activity planning interventions on reducing sedentary behavior in parent-child dyads: A randomized controlled trial

Effects of parent-child dyad interventions on behavior remain unclear. This randomized controlled trial investigated if, compared with a control condition, three types of physical activity (PA) planning interventions (individual "I-for-me," dyadic "we-for-me," and collaborative "we-for-us") would reduce sedentary behavior (SB) time in parents and their children. The study involved 247 dyads comprising parents (aged 29-66) and their children (aged 9-15), randomized into one of the three types of PA planning-intervention arms or the control condition. Mixed models were applied to analyze data from a preregistered trial (NCT02713438) with the outcome of accelerometer-measured SB time, assessed at 1-week and 36-week follow-ups. Although children's SB remained unaffected by the planning interventions, a small reduction of SB time was found among parents in the collaborative (p = .048) and individual (p = .042) planning conditions. The effects were observed at the 1-week follow-up only. While short-term reductions in parents' SB were achieved, these were not sustained long-term. PA planning interventions delivered to parent-child dyads did not substantially reduce children's SB, which may be due to young people's needs of increased independence from their parents.

Can individual, dyadic, or collaborative planning reduce sedentary behavior? A randomized controlled trial

RATIONALE

Although effects of individual planning interventions on physical activity (PA) are well established, less is known about the relationships between planning and sedentary behavior (SB).

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the efficacy of individual planning, dyadic planning (i.e., joint planning, targeting the behavior of one person only: the target person), and collaborative planning (i.e., joint planning and joint behavioral performance) on sedentary behavior among dyads.

METHODS

Dyads (N = 320 target persons and their partners, aged 18-90 years) were randomized into three PA planning conditions (individual, dyadic, or collaborative) or an active (education) control condition. Main outcomes, i.e., sedentary time, proportion of time spent in SB and light-intensity PA, proportion of time spent in SB and total PA were measured with GT3X-BT accelerometers at baseline, 1-week follow-up, and 36-week follow-up. Two-level models with measurement points nested in participants were fit, separately for target persons and partners.

RESULTS

Findings for target persons obtained at 1-week follow-up indicated that in the collaborative planning condition SB time significantly decreased, compared to the control condition (p = .013). There was an improvement in the proportion of time spent in SB and light-intensity PA (p = .019), and the proportion of time spent in SB and total PA (p = .018), indicating that SB time was displaced by PA. Effects of individual and dyadic planning were not significant, compared to the control condition. None of interventions had a significant effect on SB indices at 36-week follow-up. Regarding dyadic partners, there were no effects of planning interventions at 1-week follow-up or 36-week follow-up, compared to the control condition.

CONCLUSIONS

Collaborative planning may prompt a short-term reduction of SB time and result in a shift towards a healthier balance between SB time and PA time among target persons, who did not adhere to PA guidelines at baseline.