Effectiveness of a family–school–community collaborative physical activity intervention

Background Family–school–community collaboration is increasingly recognized as a strategy to promote physical activity (PA) in youth, yet evidence in primary school settings—particularly for exercise-related cognition—remains limited. Objective To evaluate a family–school–community collaborative PA intervention on PA and exercise cognition in primary school students, and to examine associations between PA and exercise cognition. Methods In this quasi-experimental, one-academic-year study, 515 fifth-grade students (10–11 years) from a public primary school in Guangdong, China, were allocated to an intervention group ( n = 255) or a control group ( n = 260). The intervention group received a structured family–school–community collaborative PA program, while controls received usual physical education. PA was assessed using PAQ-CN; exercise cognition (benefits/barriers) was measured using EBBS-CN. Intervention effects were estimated using class-clustered ANCOVA adjusting for baseline outcome values and sex; exploratory associations were examined using class-clustered regression models. Results PA increased from pre- to post-intervention in both groups. In adjusted class-clustered ANCOVA models, the intervention was associated with higher exercise cognition ( β = 3.94, 95% CI: 1.29–6.60; p = 0.003; Hedges’ g = 0.26) and higher perceived exercise benefits ( β = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.03–5.89; p = 0.008; Hedges’ g = 0.24). The adjusted between-group effect on PA was not statistically significant ( β = 0.11, 95% CI: −0.15–0.36; p = 0.418; Hedges’ g = 0.18), nor was the effect on exercise barriers ( β = 0.55, 95% CI: −0.60–1.70; p = 0.354; Hedges’ g = 0.08). In exploratory class-clustered regression models (with baseline PA adjustment), post-intervention PA was positively associated with exercise cognition and perceived exercise benefits (both p ≤ 0.001), but not with perceived exercise barriers ( p = 0.453). Conclusion In this quasi-experimental, single-school study, the intervention was associated with improvements in exercise cognition and perceived benefits, while incremental between-group gains in PA were modest and not statistically robust after accounting for class clustering. These findings support multi-contextual approaches and underscore the potential value of strengthening positive exercise perceptions within coordinated PA promotion efforts.