Abstract
Citation
Lounsbery MA, McKenzie TL, Morrow JR Jr, Holt KA, Budnar RG. School physical activity policy assessment. J Phys Act Health 2013 May;10(4):496-503. Epub 2012 Sep 11.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) levels in schools vary widely, and there is interest in studying how student PA accrual relates to school policy and environmental conditions. School PA policy research, however, is in its infancy and generalizable measurement tools do not exist. We developed and assessed reliability of items on the School Physical Activity Policy Assessment (S-PAPA), an instrument designed to assess school PA policy related to physical education (PE), recess, and other opportunities. METHODS: To develop items, we perused associated literature, examined existing instruments, and consulted school policy makers. For test-retest reliability assessment, 31 elementary school PE teachers completed the survey twice, 14 days apart. RESULTS: S-PAPA uses open-ended, dichotomous, multichotomous, and checklist formatting and has 3 modules: 1) Physical Education (47 items), 2) Recess (27 items), and 3) Other Before, During, and After School Programs (15 items). Responses to more than 95% of items were highly related between Times 1 and 2. Generally, physical education and recess items had fair to substantial levels of agreement, and items about other school PA programs had fair to perfect agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Test-retest results suggest S-PAPA items are reliable and useful in assessing PA policies in elementary schools.
Full Text
The full text is available at https://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jpah.10.4.496
At A Glance
Physical Activity Environment Variables
| # | Type of Environment/Location |
|---|---|
| 31 | School |
| Measure | objective | perceived |
|---|---|---|
| Policy | ✘ | ✔ |
| Crime/Safety | ✘ | ✔ |
| Pedestrian/Traffic Safety | ✘ | ✔ |
| Cycling Infrastructure | ✘ | ✔ |
| Facility Adequacy/Appeal or Quality | ✘ | ✔ |
| Facility Access/Availablity/Proximity | ✘ | ✔ |
| Pedestrian Infrastructure | ✘ | ✔ |
| Social Environment | ✘ | ✔ |
Domain(s)
Physical Activity Environment
Measure Type
Questionnaire
Measure Availability
Free. Access at http://activelivingresearch.org/school-physical-activity-policy-assessment-s-papa-0
Number of Items
96 Reported
Study location
Not Reported
Southwestern United States, USA
Languages
English
Information about Development of Measure
The development of the School Physical Activity Policy Assessment (S-PAPA) instrument focused on elementary school settings because recess and active transport to school are more common in elementary schools than other school levels. A review of the literature was performed, and existing evaluation tools were also examined and synthesized. Experts critically reviewed the instrument and provided feedback on the instrument scope and on the validity of specific items.
Study Design
Study Participants
Age
Adults
Sex
Not applicable
Race/Ethnicity
Not reported
Predominantly Low-income/Low-SES
Not reported
Sample Size
31
Study Design
Design Type
Validation/Reliability
Health Outcomes Assessed
None
Obesity Measures
Not applicable
BMI Measured or Self-reported
Not applicable
Covariates
Not reported
Data Reported on Race/Ethnicity
Not applicable
Data Reported on SES
Not applicable
SES-related Variables
Not applicable
How To Use
Administration
Who Administered
Self-administered
How Administered
In-person
Time Required
Not reported
Training Required
Not reported
Instructions on Use
Instructions on instrument use included in article
Data Analysis
Data Collection/Analysis Costs
Not reported
Data Collection/Protocol
Elementary school physical education teachers participating in a national summer workshop, and members of a professional organization network completed the School Physical Activity Policy Assessment survey on two separate occasions, fourteen days apart.
Instructions on Data Analysis
Instructions on analysis included in article
Validity (0)
There are no validity tests reported for this measure.
Reliability (4)
| Type of reliability | Construct/subscale assessed | Test/statistic used | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test-retest | School Physical Activity Policy Assessment, Selected Continuous Items | Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) | r = 0.72 to 0.96 |
| Test-retest | School Physical Activity Policy Assessment, Before, During, and After School Programs Module items | Kappa statistics, percent agreement (%) | k = 0.31 to 0.88, % = 57 to 93 |
| Test-retest | School Physical Activity Policy Assessment, Recess Module items | Kappa statistics, percent agreement (%) | k = 0.33 to 0.81, % = 71 to 97 |
| Test-retest | School Physical Activity Policy Assessment, Physical Education Module items | Kappa statistics (k), percent agreement (%) | k = 0.14 to 0.72, % = 66 to 87 |