Abstract
Citation
Durant N, Harris SK, Doyle S, Person S, Saelens BE, Kerr J, Norman GJ, Sallis JF. Relation of school environment and policy to adolescent physical activity. J Sch Health 2009 Apr;79(4):153-9; quiz 205-6.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) declines as children and adolescents age. The purpose of this study was to examine how specific school factors relate to youth PA, TV viewing, and body mass index (BMI). METHODS: A sample of 12- to 18-year-old adolescents in 3 cities (N = 165, 53% females, mean age 14.6 +/- 1.7 years, 44% nonwhite) completed surveys assessing days of physical education (PE) class per week, school equipment accessibility, after-school supervised PA, and after-school field access. Regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between these school factors and PA at school facilities open to the public (never active vs active), overall PA level (days per week physically active for 60 minutes), BMI z score, and TV watching (hours per week). RESULTS: Adjusting for demographics, days of PE per week and access to school fields after school were correlated with overall PA (beta= 0.286, p = .002, semipartial correlation .236 and beta= 0.801, p = .016, semipartial correlation .186, respectively). The association between after-school field access and overall PA was mediated by use of publicly accessible school facilities for PA. After-school supervised PA and school PA equipment were not associated with overall PA. In adjusted regression analyses including all school factors, days of PE remained correlated to overall PA independent of other school factors (beta= 0.264, p = .007, semipartial correlation = .136). There were no associations between school factors and BMI or TV watching. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these study findings, PE is a promising intervention to address improving overall adolescent PA within the school setting.
Full Text
The full text is available at https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00384.x
At A Glance
Physical Activity Environment Variables
| # | Type of Environment/Location |
|---|---|
| - | Afterschool/Out-of-School Youth Programs |
| - | School |
| # | Scale |
|---|---|
| - | Equipment |
| - | School playing fields, Physical education classes |
| Measure | objective | perceived |
|---|---|---|
| Facility Access/Availablity/Proximity | ✘ | ✔ |
Individual Physical Activity Behavior Variables
| Expenditure |
|---|
| Moderate Physical Activity |
| Vigorous Physical Activity |
| Behavior |
|---|
| Physical Education |
| Screen Time |
Domain(s)
Physical Activity Environment
Individual Physical Activity Behavior
Measure Type
Questionnaire
Measure Availability
Measure included in article
Number of Items
9 Reported
Study location
Metro/Urban
Boston, Cincinnati, San Diego, Massachusetts, Ohio, California, USA
Languages
English
Information about Development of Measure
New survey items were developed based on previous research, existing measures, and the results of formative interviews with parents and youth.
Study Design
Study Participants
Age
12 - 18 Years
Sex
Female
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic
White
Black/African American
Non-white
Predominantly Low-income/Low-SES
Yes
Sample Size
165
Study Design
Design Type
Descriptive
Correlational/Observational
Impact/Effectiveness
Health Outcomes Assessed
None
Obesity Measures
BMI for age (Mean)
BMI Measured or Self-reported
Self-reported height
Self-reported weight
Covariates
Sociodemographic characteristics (socioeconomic status, race)
Data Reported on Race/Ethnicity
Quantitative data on study sample
Data Reported on SES
Quantitative data for community or area
SES-related Variables
Income
How To Use
Administration
Who Administered
Self-administered
How Administered
Email/postal mail
Time Required
30 to 40 minutes
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
Participants were contacted by mail and were part of a larger psychometric study of a new instrument for assessing the environmental influences of child and adolescent physical activity and nutrition. A two week test-retest design was used for all measures except demographics. The average time between completion of the two surveys was twenty-seven days. The second survey data were not used in this study.
Instructions on Data Analysis
Instructions on analysis included in article
Validity (0)
There are no validity tests reported for this measure.
Reliability (0)
There are no reliability tests reported for this measure.