Untitled School-Based Exercise Education Program

OVERVIEW

The Untitled School-Based Exercise Education Program combines aerobic exercise sessions with exercise curriculum as a means of reducing blood pressure and body fat in adolescents. In an evaluation of the intervention, five middle schools were randomly assigned to have their students participate in one of the following four study groups: 1) exercise only, 2) exercise education only, 3) combined exercise and exercise education, 4) no-treatment control. Results indicated that individuals in the combined exercise and education group experienced the most positive changes, with significantly great decreases in skinfold thickness and increases in aerobic power relative to other groups. Additionally, adolescents participating in all three intervention groups had significantly greater decreases in blood pressure relative to controls. However, there were no differences across groups on changes in BMI.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Middle school students.

The Untitled School-Based Exercise Education Program is a blood pressure and body fat reduction intervention for young adolescents. The program has exercise and exercise education components. The exercise component requires the children to participate in 30 minutes of aerobic activity three days a week for eight weeks. Each exercise session consists of a five-minute warm-up, 20 to 30 minutes in aerobic exercise, and a five-minute cool-down. Aerobic exercise includes various lifestyle activities, such as soccer, handball, basketball, and strength and endurance training. Training sessions are implemented during the children's regular physical education classes and differ from standard PE curriculum in that they focus on aerobic exercise rather than skill-building.

The exercise education component delivers curriculum on the risks associated with smoking and the health benefits resulting from exercise. The curriculum is presented during two classes per week, over a period of eight weeks.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

McMurray, R.G., Harrell, J.S., Bangdiwala, S.I., Bradley, C.B., Deng, S., & Levine, A. (2002). A school-based intervention can reduce body fat and blood pressure in young adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, 125-132.

Evaluated population: 1,140 adolescent from five middle schools located in rural areas of North Carolina served as the sample for this evaluation. The sample was 55% female. The racial and ethnic breakdown was as follows: 64% white, 24% African-American, and 12% Hispanic, Asian, American-Indian, and other ethnicities. Parent education breakdown included 17% who had not graduated from high school, 49% with at least some college experience, and 33% with a college degree. Additionally, 47% of families had annual incomes less than $30,000, 29% were between $30,000 and $50,000, and 24% had incomes greater than $50,000.

Approach: Schools were randomly assigned to have their students participate in one of the following four study groups: 1) exercise only, 2) exercise education only, 3) combined exercise and exercise education, 4) no-treatment control. Participants in the exercise only condition received only the eight-week School-Based Exercise Education Program physical fitness sessions, described in detail above. Students in the exercise education only condition received only the School-Based Exercise Education Program curriculum. Participants in the combined exercise and exercise education group received both components of the School-Based Exercise Education Program. Finally, students in the no-treatment control group received their normal health and physical education curriculums.

All participants were assessed at baseline and following the conclusion of the intervention. Students were measured for height and weight (also used to calculate BMI), skinfold thickness, blood pressure, and aerobic power.

Results: Results indicated that participants in the combined exercise and exercise education group experienced significantly less of an increase in skinfold thickness by the end of the intervention relative to the control group (medium effect size of 0.40) and control (small effect size of 0.08) participants. Furthermore, participants in the combined program experienced significantly greater improvements in aerobic power relative to the education only group (small effect size of 0.28).

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

References:

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 11 to 14 years

Evaluated participant grades: N/A

Program age ranges in the guide: Early Childhood, Adolescence

Program components: School-Based

Measured outcomes: Physical Health

Keywords: Children, Adolescents, Middle School, Co-Ed, Multi-Racial, School-Based, Skills Training, Rural and/or Frontier, Physical Activity, Weight; Black/African American

Program information last updated on 9/30/09.

		© Child Trends 2003