Technology driving increased Children’s Fitness levels

At Ralston Out of School Care, staff observed that approximately 38% of children do not regularly take part in physical activity during sessions.  Many children prefer passive entertainment, which limits their opportunities for movement.  A baseline parent survey conducted at the outset of the project found that 68% of parents did not know how much activity their children should be doing, and the average recorded steps per day (7,000) and minutes of activity (45) were below NHS and government guidance.

The barriers to increasing physical activity are multifaceted.  These include:

• A lack of accessible and engaging fitness options tailored to children's interests
• Low confidence or hesitation to try new activities
• Limited parental awareness or understanding of recommended activity levels
• Variable levels of digital literacy among families
• Challenges in tracking and responding to real-time activity data, due to limitations in device software and the absence of 5G connectivity in the area

This project is specifically aimed at children aged 5 to 12 attending Ralston Out of School Care in Renfrewshire.  The end users are the children themselves, supported by their parents and the care service staff.  The adopters and broader stakeholders include local activity providers, sports coaches, schools, and other childcare providers seeking data-driven approaches to improve child wellbeing.

By using smart fitness technology combined with real-time insights and community collaboration, this initiative responds to a pressing need for preventative, inclusive, and sustainable approaches to children’s health and wellbeing.  It provides a framework that could be replicated by other services or settings looking to promote early intervention and long-term healthy habits.

The selected devices connect via Bluetooth to a parent-controlled app, where data is collected, viewed and shared.  Although real-time data transfer was limited due to app constraints and the absence of 5G in the area, the school’s recently upgraded high-speed fibre broadband enabled consistent syncing of data when connected.

Key features of the solution include:

• Wearable Garmin Junior fitness trackers: Long battery life (up to 2 years), child-friendly design, no charging needed.
• Bluetooth connectivity: Allows for periodic syncing of activity data to a mobile device.
• Parental app access: Enables activity monitoring, step tracking, and reward systems that incentivise movement.
• Data aggregation: Activity data was manually collected from parents and staff and used to design tailored physical activity programmes.
• Collaborative programming: Local partners, including sports clubs and coaching providers, delivered diverse activity options based on the data collected.
• Offline capability: Devices continued to track steps when offline, syncing once reconnected, which made them practical in low-connectivity areas.

While the system lacked an automated real-time dashboard due to the limitations of the Garmin Junior app, staff and parents worked together to manually track progress and feedback on the children's engagement and wellbeing. Digital inclusion was prioritised with dedicated group and one-to-one training sessions for parents, ensuring wide adoption and use of the technology.

The project model is low-cost, scalable, and replicable in other schools or care services, particularly those with reliable broadband connections but no 5G infrastructure.  The modular design allows for future enhancements, including integration with platforms that support real-time monitoring or data visualisation.

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Cost to Implement: The main investment was the procurement of 128 Garmin Junior fitness trackers at a total cost of approximately £1,200.  Devices were sourced competitively from multiple suppliers to reduce unit cost.  No additional infrastructure was required due to the use of existing broadband connectivity within the school building.

Ongoing Costs:

• Device replacement and new devices for future cohorts: estimated £1,200 per year.
• Minimal costs for staff training and parental support, absorbed within existing staffing resources.
• Activity delivery was supported through partnerships with local organisations (e.g., Get Active Coaching and community clubs), which helped keep delivery costs low.

Return on Investment: The project’s return is measured in health and well-being outcomes rather than direct financial gain.  Early indicators suggest improved physical activity levels and wellbeing, with children averaging over 9,000 steps and 76 minutes of daily activity, exceeding national targets.  These improvements have the potential to:

• Reduce long-term healthcare costs related to childhood inactivity.Support school-readiness and classroom focus through increased physical well-being.
• Improve family engagement and long-term behaviour change related to health and fitness.
• Procurement Considerations: Devices were sourced without a formal procurement process due to the small scale and tight budget, but future scaling may benefit from a framework agreement to achieve bulk savings.
• Scalability: The low per-child cost and straightforward implementation make this model highly scalable to other childcare settings, schools, or local authorities. Future investment would allow for:
• Rollout of devices to additional cohorts.
• Potential development of a real-time data dashboard for staff and parents.
• Broader inclusion of clubs and coaching partners for expanded programming.
• Funding Opportunities: The service is exploring funding from local authorities, sports partnerships, and charitable foundations to sustain and expand the programme. There is also potential to include this model in wider child wellbeing strategies under the Glasgow City Region's Smart and Connected Places framework.
• Potential: According to public health England data (Physical inactivity: economic costs to NHS clinical commissioning groups 2016) physical inactivity cost the English NHS between £445 and £620 Million pounds a year.  While a 2017 report by the British heart foundation (Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behaviour Report 2017) physical inactivity cost the UK health service up to £1.2 Billion per year.
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• A report by Sport England and Sheffield Hallam University (2019) into the Social and Economic Value of Community Sport and Physical Activity in England found that physical activity’s role in preventing several serious physical and mental health conditions which provided over £9.5 billion in value to the economy. Of this amount,
• £5.2 billion was in healthcare savings
• £1.7 billion was in social care savings
• More than £3.6 billion worth of savings were generated by the prevention of 900,000 cases of diabetes
• A further £3.5 billion of value was generated in avoided dementia cases and the related care
• £450 million was saved by preventing 30 million additional GP visits.

None of this considers the lost workdays due to health issues related to inactivity, according to the Official Statistics The cost of working age ill-health and disability that prevents work Published 18 March 2025 the cost to the economy of people off work due to poor health is as much as £188 Billion!

I would cost around £335 million to supply all children aged 5-12 with a fitness tracker with an ongoing cost of around £150 million a year. For Renfrewshire it would cost about £750 000. A small-scale trial across several groups or schools could cost under £100,000 and with support from a university could clean some useful data.

The potential benefit here is huge even a small impact in the NHS costs and the economic cost could be significant, saving billions of pounds a year, not to mention the increased wellbeing and happiness of people.

Health and Wellbeing Benefits:

• Increased physical activity: Average daily steps increased to 9,140 and active minutes to 76, exceeding national activity guidelines.
• Improved mental wellbeing: Staff observations noted an increase of 1–2 points on the Leuven Scale during physical activities.
• Reduced sedentary behaviour: Children showed reduced time spent on screens and more interest in walking and outdoor play.

Educational and Emotional Benefits:

• Improved self-awareness: Children tracked their own steps and progress, encouraging goal setting and motivation.
• Behavioural change: Families reported walking to school more often and taking part in physical activities together, often instigated by the child.
• Increased engagement: Children actively participated in at least one, and often three or more, new physical activities, including those not traditionally well-attended such as drama and archery.Social and Community Benefits:
• Stronger community ties: The project created new connections between families, staff, and local clubs, leading to increased referrals to local activity groups.
• Parental involvement: Engagement sessions empowered parents to understand and support their children’s physical health.
• Positive peer influence: Children compared steps with their friends, leading to friendly competition and shared motivation.
• Digital Inclusion:
• Parental digital literacy: Through one-to-one and group training sessions, parents developed confidence in using technology to monitor their children’s activity.  This helped address digital literacy gaps, especially for families unfamiliar with fitness tracking apps.
• Equal access to technology: By providing devices to all interested children regardless of socioeconomic background, the project removed a key barrier to digital participation in health and wellbeing initiatives.
• Data understanding: Both parents and staff gained experience interpreting basic fitness data, contributing to more informed decisions about activity planning and wellbeing support.
• Operational Benefits:
• Data-informed decision making: Activity data helped shape new physical activities that children were more likely to enjoy and engage with.
• Scalable model: The project established a framework that can be replicated across schools and childcare settings with minimal additional resources.
• Efficient resource use: Staff used key worker observations and SHANARRI indicators to ensure every child benefitted from a tailored approach to physical activity and wellbeing.
• Quotes 
• Parents
• “My girls are asking me if we can walk to school, now they have the trackers!”
• “I thought my children would be too young to use the trackers, but they are really engaged with them and enjoying it”
• “We have been out walking more as a family now that the boys have the trackers”
• Children
• “I am running around at home now!”
• “Look I have 8,047 steps so far today”
• “I like using the app to get new places and people unlocked in my watch game, the more steps I do"

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Do’s:

• Engage parents early and meaningfully.  Personal conversations at pick-up and dedicated training sessions helped to achieve a high uptake rate (91%) and ensured parents were confident in supporting their children.
• Choose the right technology.  Selecting a durable, child-friendly fitness tracker with simple app functionality (Garmin Junior) was key to successful adoption.
• Use data to tailor activities.  Step count data and parent feedback directly informed the creation of new, more appealing physical activities, including inclusive options like drama and interactive video games.
• Work with local partners.  Collaborations with Get Active Coaching, local clubs, and OneRen allowed the project to deliver activities that staff alone could not have offered.
• Support digital inclusion.  Providing devices, offering flexible support options, and making paper surveys available ensured broad participation across different levels of digital confidence.
• Track wellbeing as well as physical activity. Using SHANARRI indicators and the Leuven Scale gave a fuller picture of impact beyond just step counts.

Don’ts:

• Do not underestimate the time required for data collection.  Without real-time syncing or a centralised dashboard, manual data gathering from multiple devices was time-consuming and could not be sustained long-term.
• Avoid relying solely on digital methods for engagement.  While digital tools were key to the project, maintaining face-to-face contact was vital for ongoing engagement and reducing drop-off in participation.

Don’t assume all children will engage equally.  A small number of children were reluctant to wear the devices or participate in activities, highlighting the need for flexibility and understanding individual preferences or needs.      Where children have sensory issues, different straps could be a consideration.

• Do not overlook the importance of post-launch momentum.  Parental engagement waned over time.  More check-ins or group sessions throughout the project may have improved data submission rates and maintained enthusiasm.      Equally having access to real-time leader boards, accessible through 5G connections may have maintained momentum.
• Do not wait to solve connectivity limitations.  The lack of a 5G connection limited the ability to share real-time data and create interactive elements such as leaderboards, which staff and children would have welcomed.

Best Practice Guidance:

• Combine technology with human connection and community support.
• Ensure all stakeholders, from children to club partners are involved in the design and feedback process.
• Design activities with inclusivity in mind to appeal to both sports-enthusiastic and less active children.
• Consider sustainability from the start, including device lifespan and opportunities for future funding or partnerships.