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Cities for Better Health Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative in JAPAN
Sponsor: Chiba University
Summary
The goal of this interventional study is to prevent childhood obesity in children aged 6-12 years in Chiba City, Japan. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the multi-component intervention for environments around children reduce the BMI z-score of children aged 6-12 years after one and two years? * Does the multi-component intervention for environments around children improve the health-related quality of life (assessed by KIDSCREEN-10) of children aged 6-12 years after one and two years? Researchers will compare school clusters receiving the intervention to control clusters to see if the intervention package promotes healthy eating, increases physical activity, improves health-related quality of life, and reduces obesity prevalence. Participants will: * Attend elementary schools within participating clusters (either the intervention or control group). * Have baseline data collected, with follow-up assessments after one year and two years. * Potentially participate in school-based programs (nutrition education, physical activity promotion) and community-based initiatives (park activation, supermarkets) if in an intervention cluster. * Have their physical activity and dietary behavior assessed through self-report questionnaires.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
6 Years - 12 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
2200
Start Date
2025-07-07
Completion Date
2027-09
Last Updated
2026-09-29
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
Multi-level, Multi-component Intervention Package
The CBH COPI intervention applies multi-level strategies to improve children's environments and foster healthy behaviors. The coordinated program aims to naturally promote healthy eating, physical activity, and sustained lifestyle change among children aged 6-12 in Chiba City.
Elementary schools
In consultation with each elementary school, initiatives related to physical activity and diet will be implemented within the scope of the national curriculum guidelines. Super Hopscotch: Install foot-shaped signs and other markings on outdoor surfaces between the entrance/exit and school gates, as well as in the gymnasium-areas children frequent during daily school life. Place guides nearby explaining how to play and indicating difficulty levels, creating a safe and enjoyable play space. Playground Equipment Completion Card: Place numbered stickers on each piece of playground equipment, matching them to numbers on the completion card. Calendar-style Playground Equipment Completion Cards are distributed to children, who check off the numbers of the equipment they played on each day. Bug \& Find Journal: Distribute sketchbook-style "Bug \& Find Journals" to children. They sketch insects or flowers found that day.
Parks
In consultation with Chiba City, an environment that naturally encourages healthy choices will be fostered through modifications to city-managed facilities and awareness campaigns. Standing long jump: Mark a measurable distance for standing long jump on the pavement to create a fun and challenging environment. Slalom (line walking/running): Draw lines using shapes such as triangles, circles, and squares to create a path where children can walk or run along the line. Footprint maze: Children follow colored lines and shapes drawn on the ground to reach a goal, combining visual cues with physical movement. One-leg walking (balance walking): Place footprints on a curb about 10-20 cm wide, allowing children to move forward by alternating one leg along the footprints. Stair climbing: Display multiplication tables, English words, or phrases on the risers or sides of stairs to encourage children to climb them. And 25 m run, Hopscotch, Target throwing.
Ambassador Program
Children learn about food and lifestyle habits on their own, put them into action, and spread what they learn in the program to their families, schools, and communities. Target participants: Approximately 20 fourth- and fifth-grade elementary school students. Program components: * Learn \& Think: Understand the fundamentals of nutrition and the importance of healthy eating. * Experience: Apply nutrition knowledge through hands-on food-related activities. * Share \& Inspire: Communicate what they have learned and encourage healthy eating among peers and family members.
Home
In consultation with each elementary school or community partner, support will be provided to foster healthy habits within each household. •Provide tools to manage lifestyle habits, including the habit-forming app "Min-Challe," which allows anonymous teams of up to five users with a shared goal to report their daily achievements to each other by sharing photos (https://minchalle.com/).
Chiba University Academy
Target participants: Students from the intervention schools and the Chiba University Elementary School. * Three lectures are planned. * A Ken-Ken-Pa (hopscotch) course will be installed at the affiliated elementary school, or a simplified mat version will be used for hands-on activities. * An experiential booth will allow participants to experience the intervention components, with the aim of increasing the intensity and engagement of the intervention.
Locations (1)
Chiba University
Chiba, Chiba, Japan