Rationale and study protocol for the Movement Oriented Games Based Assessment (MOGBA) cluster randomized controlled...

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Sports Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Childhood obesity is linked to low physical activity and poor movement competence.
• The Movement Oriented Games Based Assessment (MOGBA) is an intervention designed to enhance children's complex movement skills.
• MOGBA aims to improve movement competence, physical fitness, self-perceptions, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the MOGBA intervention in improving children's movement competence.
• To assess the impact of MOGBA on children's physical activity levels, fitness, and self-perceptions.
• To determine the scalability of MOGBA for global implementation in sports and activity programs.

Main Methods:

• A multi-site cluster randomized controlled trial involving 904 children aged 8-12 years across UK, Ireland, and Australia.
• Schools were randomly allocated to experimental or wait-list control groups.
• The intervention involved 9 weeks of MOGBA, including 14 games-based activities and assessments, delivered by trained facilitators.

Main Results:

• The primary outcome was improved children's movement competence, measured by The Dragon Challenge.
• Secondary outcomes included improvements in in-activity and leisure-time MVPA, physical fitness (standing long jump, push-ups), and self-perceptions.
• Data analysis utilized multilevel modeling approaches.

Conclusions:

• The MOGBA intervention effectively enhances children's movement competence.
• Scalable MOGBA-based interventions can be applied globally within initiatives like 'Made to Play'.
• The study provides evidence for MOGBA's potential to address childhood physical inactivity and obesity.