“FIT FOR LIFE” BOY SCOUT BADGE

OVERVIEW

The “Fit for Life” activity badge was designed to increase physical fitness among Boy Scouts.  In a random assignment study of 42 troops, boys in troops working on the Fit for Life badge were compared with boys in troops working on a similar, but non-fitness-related badge.  Among troops that worked on their badges during the fall, no differences in BMI or daily physical activity emerged between groups over the course of the intervention.  Among troops that worked on their badges during the spring, boys assigned to work on the Fit for Life badge significantly increased their light activity and marginally decreased their sedentary time, relative to boys assigned to work on the control badge.  There were no differences between groups on frequency of participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity, however.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Boy Scouts

In order to earn the Fit for Life badge, scouts worked on physical activities for 20 minutes each troop meeting.  Scouts also received a drills booklet that taught ways to work on these activities outside of meetings as well.  Scouts were granted access to a Fit for Life website that included animated role-modeling comics, knowledge games, and goal-setting and review charts.  Boys were encouraged to log on to this website at least twice a week and to use it to track their fitness goals.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Jago, R., Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J. C., Thompson, D., Cullen, K. W., Watson, K., & Liu, Y.  (2006).  Fit for Life Boy Scout Badge: Outcome Evaluation of a Troop and Internet Intervention.  Preventative Medecine, 42, 181-187.

Evaluated population: 473 Boy Scouts from 42 troops in the greater Houston area served as the study sample for this investigation.  These boys were all between the ages of 10 and 14 years old.  73% were white, 14% were Hispanic, 4% were black, and 9% were of other ethnicity.

Approach: Troops were randomly assigned to the treatment group or to the control group.  Treatment troops participated in a nine-week implementation of the Fit for Life intervention while control troops took part in a “mirror image” fruit and vegetable intervention.

All boys had their height and weight measured at baseline and again immediately after the intervention and six months later.  Boys also had their physical activity monitored for three consecutive days at each assessment using accelerometers.

Results: Boys in treatment troops did not differ from boys in control troops on BMI at any time point.  Treatment boys who worked on the Fit for Life badge during the fall did not improve their physical activity over the course of the intervention.  Treatment boys who worked on the Fit for Life badge during the spring did show some improvement, however. 

Relative to boys who worked on the control group badge during the spring, scouts who worked on the Fit for Life badge during the spring significantly increased their light physical activity and marginally decreased their sedentary time between baseline and the end of the intervention.  However, these impacts were no longer present six months later.  The intervention had no impact on frequency of participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Researchers note that spring weather conditions are more conducive to outdoor activity than are fall weather conditions and speculate that this might account for the intervention’s greater success during the spring.  They suggest adapting the program to include a greater emphasis on indoor activities, so as to render it pertinent and effective in all seasons.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

More information on Boy Scout programs available at:

http://www.scouting.org/

References:

Jago, R., Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J. C., Thompson, D., Cullen, K. W., Watson, K., & Liu, Y.  (2006).  Fit for Life Boy Scout Badge: Outcome Evaluation of a Troop and Internet Intervention.  Preventative Medecine, 42, 181-187.

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 10-14

Program age ranges in the guide: Middle Childhood, Adolescence

Program components: Miscellaneous

Measured outcomes: Physical Health

Program information last updated 7/24/07