Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr 27:9:610245.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.610245. eCollection 2021.

Development of a School-Based Intervention to Increase Physical Activity Levels Among Chinese Children: A Systematic Iterative Process Based on Behavior Change Wheel and Theoretical Domains Framework

Affiliations

Development of a School-Based Intervention to Increase Physical Activity Levels Among Chinese Children: A Systematic Iterative Process Based on Behavior Change Wheel and Theoretical Domains Framework

Haiquan Wang et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Regular physical activity has a range of benefits for children's health, academic achievement, and behavioral development, yet they face barriers to participation. The aim of the study was to systematically develop an intervention for improving Chinese children's physical activity participation, using the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). The BCW and TDF were used to (i) understand the behavior (through literature review), (ii) identify intervention options (through the TDF-intervention function mapping table), (iii) select content and implementation options [through behavior change technique (BCT) taxonomy and literature review], and (iv) finalize the intervention content (through expert consultation, patient and public involvement and engagement, and piloting). A systematic iterative process was followed to design the intervention by following the steps recommended by the BCW. This systematic process identified 10 relevant TDF domains to encourage engagement in physical activity among Chinese children: knowledge, memory, attention and decision processes, social influences, environmental context and resources, beliefs about capabilities, beliefs about consequences, social/professional role and identity, emotions, and physical skills. It resulted in the selection of seven intervention functions (education, persuasion, environmental restricting, modeling, enablement, training, and incentivization) and 21 BCTs in the program, delivered over a period of 16 weeks. The BCW and TDF allowed an in-depth consideration of the physical activity behavior among Chinese children and provided a systematic framework for developing the intervention. A feasibility study is now being undertaken to determine its acceptability and utility.

Keywords: China; child; exercise; intervention development; sport; systematic process.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The 10 steps of the intervention development.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Physical activity domains.

References

    1. World Health Organization . Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health. Available online at: https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/9789241599979/en/ (accessed December 20, 2019).
    1. Lee IM, Shiroma EJ, Lobelo F, Puska P, Blair SN, Katzmarzyk PT. Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet. (2012) 380:219–29. 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61031-9 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Strong WB, Malina RM, Blimkie CJ, Daniels SR, Dishman RK, Gutin B, et al. . Evidence based physical activity for school-age youth. J Pediatr. (2005) 146:732–7. 10.1016/j.jpeds.2005.01.055 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Guthold R, Stevens GA, Riley LM, Bull FC. Global trends in insufficient physical activity among adolescents: a pooled analysis of 298 population-based surveys with 1·6 million participants. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. (2020) 4:23–35. 10.1016/S2352-4642(19)30323-2 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhu Z, Tang Y, Zhuang J, Liu Y, Wu X, Cai Y, et al. . Physical activity, screen viewing time, and overweight/obesity among Chinese children and adolescents: an update from the 2017 physical activity and fitness in China—the youth study. BMC Public Health. (2019) 19:197–204. 10.1186/s12889-019-6515-9 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types