Intervention centred on adolescents' physical activity and sedentary behaviour (ICAPS): concept and 6-month results

To evaluate the 6-month impact of a physical activity (PA) multilevel intervention on activity patterns and psychological predictors of PA among adolescents. The intervention was directed at changing knowledge and attitudes and at providing social support and environmental conditions that encourage PA of adolescents inside and outside school.

Randomised, controlled ongoing field trial (ICAPS) in middle-school's first-level adolescents from eight schools selected in the department of the Bas-Rhin (Eastern France) with a cohort of 954 adolescents (92% of the eligible students) initially aged 11.7+/-0.6 y. The 6-month changes in participation in leisure organised PA (LOPA), high sedentary (SED) behaviour (>3 h/day), self-efficacy (SELF) and intention (INTENT) towards PA were analysed after controlling for baseline measures and different covariables (age, overweight, socioprofessional occupation), taking into account the cluster randomisation design.

The proportion of intervention adolescents not engaged in organised PA was reduced by 50% whereas it was unchanged among control students. After adjustment for baseline covariables, LOPA participation significantly increased among the intervention adolescents (odds ratio (95% confidence interval) (OR)=3.38 (1.42-8.05) in girls; 1.73 (1.12-2.66) in boys), while high SED was reduced (OR=0.54 (0.38-0.77) in girls; 0.52 (0.35-0.76) in boys). The intervention improved SELF in girls, whatever their baseline LOPA (P<10(-4)) and INTENT in girls with no baseline LOPA (P=0.04). SELF tended to improve in boys with no baseline LOPA, without reaching statistical significance. When included in the regression, follow-up LOPA was associated with improvement of SELF in girls (P=0.02) and of INTENT in girls with no baseline PA (P<0.02). The intervention effect was then attenuated.

After 6 months of intervention, ICAPS was associated with a significant improvement of activity patterns and psychological predictors, indicating a promising approach for modifying the long-term PA level of adolescents.