Dissemination, Implementation, and Evaluation of an Effective School-Based Intervention to Promote Physical Activity in Adolescents: A Study Protocol

Abstract

Adolescents around the world do not engage in sufficient physical activity and the Spanish context is no exception. Understanding the educational context as a complex system, school-based multi-level and multi-component interventions seem to be an effective strategy to reverse this trend. Moreover, a co-creational approach seems to facilitate the mobilization of community partnerships and the engagement of stakeholders in the intervention process. This study aims to describe the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation process of an effective school-based intervention program in another setting using the replicating effective programs framework and a co-participatory approach. This study will be conducted in two Spanish secondary schools located in the region of Aragon (experimental vs. control school) in a sample of adolescents in the second grade (13–14 years old). To evaluate the effectiveness, different health behaviors such as physical activity, sleep, sedentary time with screens, nutrition, and psychosocial variables will be quantitatively measured at baseline and after the implementation of the intervention. Qualitative methods will also be used to better understand the implementation process and the co-creation approach, as well as to provide insights into the sustainability of the intervention program. The current study has the potential to provide strong information about the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation process of school-based programs to promote healthy behaviors among adolescents.