TY - JOUR
T1 - VERB™ summer scorecard
T2 - findings from a multi-level community-based physical activity intervention for tweens
AU - DeBate, Rita D.
AU - Baldwin, Julie A.
AU - Thompson, Zachary
AU - Nickelson, Jen
AU - Alfonso, Moya L.
AU - Bryant, Carol A.
AU - Phillips, Leah M.
AU - McDermott, Robert J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments This study was funded by CDC/Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Centers U48/CCU415803-05) (Cooperative Agreement Number 1-U48-DP-000062). Community Based Prevention Marketing: Building Local Capacity for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, VERBTM Summer Scorecard Demonstration Project. We would also like to thank our partners in the Leon and Sarasota County school districts.
PY - 2009/12
Y1 - 2009/12
N2 - The benefits of physical activity for adolescents are well established. Multi-level interventions may be especially effective in establishing and sustaining health-enhancing behaviors. This study explored the influences of a multi-level community intervention aimed at increasing physical activity among tweens (youth 9-13). Two Florida school districts far apart served as intervention and comparison sites in a quasi-experimental post-test design. Youth in grades 5 through 8 in the intervention community (n = 1,253) and comparison community (n = 866) completed an anonymous post-intervention survey. An intent-to-treat analysis did not show any statistically significant group differences for the physical activity outcomes examined. However, a subset analysis revealed that students who reported participating in the intervention were more likely to be physically active than youth in the comparison group, as well as youth in the intervention community who reported not participating. Participating in the intervention was significantly related to meeting recommendations for vigorous physical activity (OR = 2. 08, P = 0. 0259), being physically active on weekends (OR = 1. 84, P = 0. 0017), and reporting more days of trying a new game or sport (OR = 1. 49, P = 0. 046) after controlling for grade, gender, race/ethnicity, and SES. These findings support the efficacy of multi-level interventions to create effective health behavior change, especially when linkages among community, media, schools, and the home are present.
AB - The benefits of physical activity for adolescents are well established. Multi-level interventions may be especially effective in establishing and sustaining health-enhancing behaviors. This study explored the influences of a multi-level community intervention aimed at increasing physical activity among tweens (youth 9-13). Two Florida school districts far apart served as intervention and comparison sites in a quasi-experimental post-test design. Youth in grades 5 through 8 in the intervention community (n = 1,253) and comparison community (n = 866) completed an anonymous post-intervention survey. An intent-to-treat analysis did not show any statistically significant group differences for the physical activity outcomes examined. However, a subset analysis revealed that students who reported participating in the intervention were more likely to be physically active than youth in the comparison group, as well as youth in the intervention community who reported not participating. Participating in the intervention was significantly related to meeting recommendations for vigorous physical activity (OR = 2. 08, P = 0. 0259), being physically active on weekends (OR = 1. 84, P = 0. 0017), and reporting more days of trying a new game or sport (OR = 1. 49, P = 0. 046) after controlling for grade, gender, race/ethnicity, and SES. These findings support the efficacy of multi-level interventions to create effective health behavior change, especially when linkages among community, media, schools, and the home are present.
KW - Adolescent health
KW - Community health promotion
KW - Multi-level interventions
KW - Physical activity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=71149113865&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=71149113865&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10464-009-9261-9
DO - 10.1007/s10464-009-9261-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 19777339
AN - SCOPUS:71149113865
SN - 0091-0562
VL - 44
SP - 363
EP - 373
JO - American Journal of Community Psychology
JF - American Journal of Community Psychology
IS - 3
ER -