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Public health
Protocol
Marathon Kids UK: study design and protocol for a mixed methods evaluation of a school-based running programme
  1. Anna E Chalkley1,
  2. Ash C Routen1,
  3. Jo P Harris1,
  4. Lorraine A Cale1,
  5. Trish Gorely2,
  6. Lauren B Sherar1
  1. 1 National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
  2. 2 Department of Nursing, University of the Highlands and Islands, Loughborough, UK
  1. Correspondence to Anna E Chalkley; a.e.chalkley{at}lboro.ac.uk

Abstract

Introduction Schools are promising settings for physical activity promotion; however, they are complex and adaptive systems that can influence the quality of programme implementation. This paper presents an evaluation of a school-based running programme (Marathon Kids). The aims of this study are (1) to identify the processes by which schools implement the programme, (2) identify and explain the contextual factors affecting implementation and explications of effectiveness and (3) examine the relationship between the level of implementation and perceived outcomes.

Methods Using a realist evaluation framework, a mixed method single-group before-and-after design, strengthened by multiple interim measurements, will be used. Year 5 (9–10 years old) pupils and their teachers will be recruited from six state-funded primary schools in Leicestershire, UK.

Data will be collected once prior to implementation, at five discrete time points during implementation and twice following implementation. A weekly implementation log will also be used. At time point 1 (TP1) (September 2016), data on school environment, teacher and pupil characteristics will be collected. At TP1 and TP6 (July 2017), accelerometry, pupil self-reported physical activity and psychosocial data (eg, social support and intention to be active) will be collected. At TP2, TP3 and TP5 (January, March and June 2017), observations will be conducted. At TP2 and TP5, there will be teacher interviews and pupil focus groups. Follow-up teacher interviews will be conducted at TP7 and TP8 (October 2017 and March 2018) and pupil focus group at TP8. In addition, synthesised member checking will be conducted (June 2018) with a mixed sample of schools.

Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for this study was obtained through Loughborough University Human Participants Ethics Subcommittee (R16-P032 & R16-P116). Findings will be disseminated via print, online media and dissemination events as well as practitioner and/or research journals.

  • realist evaluation
  • physical activity
  • protocol
  • implementation
  • primary schools
  • children

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022176

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors AEC, ACR and LBS initially conceived the original study design, and LAC, JPH and TG helped refine the study design. AEC wrote the first draft of the manuscript. ACR, JPH, LAC, TG and LBS reviewed and contributed feedback and critical comments on drafts of the manuscript before approving the final version.

    • Funding This study was funded by London Marathon Events Ltd and Kids Run Free. This work was supported by the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care – East Midlands (NIHR CLAHRC-EM) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre.

    • Disclaimer The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of London Marathon Events Ltd and Kids Run Free, the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Not required.

    • Ethics approval The study has been approved by the Human Participants Ethics Subcommittee of Loughborough University (R16-P032 and R16-P116).

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.