Virtual Fitness Buddy Ecosystem

The Virtual Fitness Buddy Ecosystem allows parents to stay involved in the intervention and support their children's PA efforts even when they cannot be with their children. A virtual pet, designed to mimic human-pet relationships in the physical world, will guide children to set and meet PA goals and offer tailored support. In collaboration with YMCA, 480 children and 480 parents in 24 afterschool programs will be randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Afterschool programs in the treatment group will receive the Ecosystem intervention for 6-months; afterschool programs in the control group will not experience the Ecosystem. All children will complete baseline assessments, a 3-month posttest, and a 6-month and 12-month follow up. Parents and children will provide self-report data on their perceived social support, motivation, and PA self-efficacy. PA will be assessed with activity monitors, which children will wear throughout the project.