![]() Despite the known benefits of physical activity, the majority (85 to 90%) of the children in Hong Kong do not meet these recommended levels of physical activity. The World Health Organization has recommended that children engage in at least 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily. Inactivity in children: The Hong Kong context As such, improving primary schoolchildren’s FMS may increase their engagement in physical activity and enable them to live an active and healthy lifestyle throughout their lifespans. FMS competency of among schoolchildren is positively associated with various health benefits, namely, greater engagement of physical activity, greater cardiorespiratory endurance, higher self-esteem, and lower risks of overweight and obesity. FMS include locomotor (e.g., running and jumping), object-control (e.g., throwing and catching) and stability (e.g., balancing and twisting) skills, which are regarded as the “building blocks” for movement and the foundation for participation in sports and physical activities. The development of competency in a range of fundamental movement skills (FMS) during childhood may help to establish a lifelong commitment to physical activity. ![]() Therefore, it is important to ensure that young people are engaging in sufficient levels of physical activity to support their current and future health status. ![]() Recent research also suggests that physical activity may improve children’s cognitive functions and academic performance at school. Essentially, physically active children and adolescents will likely to be physically active during adulthood. Researchers have also found that physical activity behaviors or habits track from childhood to adulthood. The benefits of physical activity include low blood lipids, low prevalence of overweight and obesity, high bone mineral density, and few symptoms of depression. Physical activity is related to better physical and psychological health outcomes across the lifespan. Consequently, this intervention could be scaled to a larger number of Hong Kong schools in the future and could impact a wider population of schoolchildren. The “Active 1 + FUN” intervention will be organized and delivered by trained trainers. Physical activity interventions often target children only, but ones that also involve parents may be more beneficial. We hypothesize that the intervention will increase parents’ and children’s activity behaviors and that children will experience higher levels of needs satisfaction with regard to physical activity participation. Qualitative interviews will be conducted to determine effective intervention components from the perspective of children and parents. Children’s accelerometer-based leisure-time physical activity (primary outcome) and secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, at end of intervention period (6 months after baseline), and at follow-up (12 months after baseline). The control group will receive intervention one year later. The experimental group will receive a ten-session intervention which spans approximately six months. A target sample of 204 Primary three to five students (8 to 11 years) and their parents will be randomly allocated to the experimental group or a wait-list control group. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate the intervention. The intervention components include interactive workshops, activity sessions, physical activity homework, activity planning consultations, easy sports equipment, and online materials. The intervention was designed to help parents support their children’s basic psychological needs for competence (by providing informational feedback and optimal challenges), autonomy (by exploring a variety of activities and reducing controlling behaviors), and relatedness (by increasing co-PA between parents and child). “Active 1 + FUN” is a family-based intervention designed using the tenets of self-determination theory. The “Active 1 + FUN” intervention was designed to enhance PA of the whole family, and improve parenting methods of both fathers and mothers. Parents are crucial for shaping their children’s behaviors, but many lack the knowledge and skills to provide optimal support for PA. Physically active children are likely to become active adults thus, active lifestyles should be promoted from childhood. Physical activity (PA) is beneficial to people’s physical and psychological health.
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