The effectiveness of JU:MP a whole system approach to improve physical activity of children aged 5 to 11 years living in multi-ethnic and socio-economically deprived communities: a non-randomised controlled trial

TL;DR

A community-based program called JU:MP increased physical activity in children from disadvantaged, multi-ethnic areas, especially among boys and South Asian children.

Contribution

Demonstrates the effectiveness of a whole-system intervention in improving physical activity among children in socioeconomically deprived and ethnically diverse communities.

Findings

The JU:MP intervention increased moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by nearly 5 minutes per day in children.

South Asian and male children showed the greatest improvements in physical activity levels.

The program also reduced sedentary time and improved counts per minute of activity.

Abstract

Whole system approaches to public health challenges such as low physical activity levels have the potential to create sustained behaviour change at a population level and tackle health inequalities. However, there is currently little evidence of the nature or effectiveness of adopting whole system approaches. This study evaluated whether a whole system physical activity intervention (JU:MP), was effective at improving accelerometry measured physical activity in five- to eleven-year-olds.

A non-randomised controlled trial with two-arms (JU:MP intervention and control), was conducted in multi-ethnic and socioeconomically deprived areas of Bradford, UK with data collected at baseline and 24-months follow-up. Habitual physical activity was measured via accelerometry. Mixed effects regression models identified group differences at 24 months. The primary outcome was moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA). Secondary outcomes included: accelerometery measured - sedentary time (ST), counts per minute (CPM); BMI z-score, waist circumference, and children’s social, emotional and behavioural health, and quality-of-life via parental and teacher completed questionnaires. An exploratory analysis compared intervention effects between sub-groups.

1,453 children were recruited. 330 children with valid wear-time at baseline and 24-months (JU:MP group n = 175, control group n = 155) were included in the final analysis of physical activity outcomes. The JU:MP group improved levels of MVPA (+ 4.99 min/day, (CI = 1.01, 8.96), standardised mean difference (SMD) = 0.29), ST ( -8.69 min/day, CI = -16.76, -0.61), SMD = -0.20) and CPM (+ 32.72, CI = 5.93, 59.53, SMD = 0.28) compared to controls. There were minor differences between groups in all secondary outcomes, favouring the JU:MP group. Exploratory sub-group analysis revealed that MVPA improved for boys (+ 7.34 min/days, CI = 0.70, 13.99, SMD = 0.36) and South Asian heritage children (+ 7.20 min/day, CI = 1.67, 12.72, SMD = 0.52) in the JU:MP group compared to the control group.

This study provides evidence that a whole system, community-based intervention can improve physical activity levels in primary school-aged children, particularly among boys and South Asian children, in deprived and ethnically diverse settings. The findings suggest that whole systems approaches may be effective in mitigating age-related declines in activity and addressing inequalities at scale.

This study was retrospectively registered with the ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN14332797) on 17/02/2022. Available at: https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN14332797.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-25772-9.

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