ICAPS: a multilevel program to improve physical activity in adolescents.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Adolescent obesity and cardiovascular risk are significant public health concerns.
• The Intervention Centred on Adolescents' Physical activity and Sedentary behaviour (ICAPS) program aims to address these issues.
• Promoting physical activity (PA) and reducing sedentary behavior are key strategies for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and short-term effectiveness of the ICAPS multilevel intervention program.
• To promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior in adolescents.
• To prevent excessive weight gain and cardiovascular risk.

Main Methods:

• A four-year randomized study involving 954 adolescents (aged 11.7 ± 0.6 years) from eastern France.
• Schools were randomized to intervention or control groups.
• The intervention involved changing attitudes, encouraging social support, and creating enabling environments for PA, focusing on fun and accessibility.

Main Results:

• High participation rates (50% engaged in weekly activities).
• After six months, supervised PA outside of academic settings increased significantly in the intervention group (36% to 17% vs. 42% to 42% in controls, P < 10-4).
• Daily sedentary time decreased in the intervention group (34% to 28% vs. 27% to 36% in controls, P < 10-4).

Conclusions:

• The ICAPS program is a feasible multilevel intervention for adolescents.
• Six-month results show increased physical activity and decreased sedentary behavior.
• The intervention shows promise for long-term prevention of weight gain and cardiovascular risk.