Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 24, 2026
Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity
Published on: March 7, 2019
A pilot randomized controlled trial examining the impact of a sleep intervention targeting home routines on young
S L Yoong1,2,3,4, A Grady1,2,3,4, F Stacey1,2,3,4
1Hunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia.
Insights
This study suggests that improving sleep in young children may increase their physical activity. The intervention showed promising results for moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sleep duration.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Sleep Science
- Behavioral Interventions
Background:
- Sleep is increasingly recognized for its impact on metabolic processes.
- Interventions aimed at improving sleep may offer a novel approach to enhance child physical activity (PA).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of a sleep intervention on moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and total PA in children aged 3-6 years.
- To assess intervention adherence, impact on sleep duration, and feasibility, uptake, and acceptability.
Main Methods:
- A pilot randomized controlled trial involving 76 parent-child dyads.
- Intervention group received a 3-month program including online video, phone call, and text messages.
- Child PA was measured using accelerometers; sleep was logged by parents.
Main Results:
- The intervention group showed an estimated increase of 10.8 min/day in MVPA and 0.9 h in sleep duration.
- Parental adherence and engagement with intervention components were moderate.
- Over 40% of parents found the intervention components useful.
Conclusions:
- A sleep intervention shows potential for improving child MVPA and sleep duration.
- Modifications to intervention delivery and data collection are recommended for future studies.
Background:
Given evidence suggesting that sleep impacts on metabolic processes, interventions targeting sleep may improve child physical activity (PA).
Objectives:
To describe the potential effect of an intervention to increase sleep on young children's (3-6 years) moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA. To determine adherence to the intervention, impact on sleep duration as well as feasibility, uptake and acceptability was also assessed.
Methods:
Pilot randomized controlled trial with 76 parent-child dyads randomly allocated to an intervention (n = 38) or control group (n = 38). Parents in the intervention group received a 3-month theory-informed intervention consisting of an online video, a telephone call and two text messages. Child PA was assessed using accelerometers at baseline and approximately 3 months. Parents also completed a sleep log and a telephone interview.
Results:
The consent rate was 41% (76/186). Estimated effect size for the intervention relative to control was 10.8 min/day for MVPA, 2.7 min/day for PA and 0.9 h for sleep. Sixteen (44%) parents accessed the video, and 18 (50%) received the telephone call. Over 40% of parents found the video and telephone call useful/very useful.
Conclusions:
This study reports promising effects that an intervention targeting sleep may improve child MVPA and sleep duration. Some modifications to data collection methods and intervention delivery are needed.
