Education Commons^™

Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs: Characteristics Of Trained Teachers, Erin E. Centeio, Heather Erwin, Darla M. Castelli

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

As public health concerns about physical inactivity and childhood obesity continue to rise, researchers are calling for interventions that comprehensively lead to more opportunities to participate in physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics and attitudes of trained physical education teachers during the implementation of a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program at the elementary level. Using a collective case study design, interviews, observations, field notes, open-ended survey questions, and an online forum monitoring guided the interpretation of teacher perceptions and development of emergent themes. Qualitative data analysis was conducted for each individual teacher and …

Psychosocial Food-Related Behavior And Food Intake Of Adult Main Meal Preparers Of Food For 9-10 Year-Old Children Participating In Icook, A Five-State Childhood Obesity Pilot Prevention Study, Ashley A. Miller

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding adult outcomes of programs aimed at childhood obesity prevention is necessary because parents/caregivers are the most important influence on a child’s physical activity and eating habits. Based on the principles of the social cognitive theory, the iCook 4-H pilot study taught dyads consisting of 9-10 year-old children and their primary meal preparers cooking skills, healthy shopping and meal habits, and easy ways to incorporate physical activity as a family. The program took place in five states, Maine, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia. In each state, adult-youth dyads (n = 54) were recruited by 4-H programs and nutrition …

Student Attitude And Gender In Relation To Student Participation In Physical Activity, Kayla Steber

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The purpose of this research project was to determine how student gender and attitude toward physical activity correspond to student participation in physical activity in and outside the after-school program setting. Surveys were administered to parents and the lead counselor of five different after-school programs located in the south-central part of the United States. Surveys were used for data collection about student attitude and physical activity. The lead counselor at each site provided information regarding number of students in the program and the percent of students who were physically active at the after-school program. The parent survey gathered information on …

Peer Health Teaching Improves Nutrition Behaviors In The Teen Teacher Population, Ashlie Smith

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Peer teaching is a promising model of health education. Limited research exists on the topic of the effectiveness of peer health teaching, and even less research exists on the effects on the actual peer teachers, notably their motivations for becoming peer teachers as well as behavioral modifications and improved self-efficacy made as a result. This study examined the motivations and the health behavior modifications made by 4-H Eat 4-Health teen teachers ages 14 to 17 after delivering a peer health education program. This study investigated teen teachers’ nutrition and physical activity behavior changes as well as their leadership and confidence …

Moderate To Vigorous Physical Activity As A Protective Factor In The Context Of Risk: A Moderator Model Predicting Institutional Commitment, Brianne Kilbourne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental correlational study was to determine if cumulative risk is associated with undergraduate student institutional commitment. Additionally, moderate to vigorous physical activity was investigated as a moderator of the association between cumulative risk and institutional commitment, specifically serving as a protective factor for students experiencing high levels of cumulative risk factors. Data were collected through anonymous, online surveys from a convenience sample of undergraduate students enrolled at a large, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)-accredited, 4-year private university located in Virginia. The statistical program, SPSS 22.0 (2013) was used to analyze the descriptive analysis …

Extracurricular School-Based Sports As A Motivating Vehicle For Sports Participation In Youth: A Cross-Sectional Study, An V. De Meester, Nathalie Aelterman, Greet Cardon, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Leen Haerens

Faculty Publications

Background

Extracurricular school-based sports are considered to be an ideal means of reaching children who are not active in community sports. The purposes of this study were to examine the extent to which pupils not engaging in community sports do participate in extracurricular school-based sports, and to assess whether extracurricular school-based sports participants are more physically active and/or more autonomously motivated towards sports in daily life than children who do not participate in extracurricular school-based sports.

Methods

One thousand forty-nine children (53.7% boys; M age = 11.02 years, SD = 0.02) out of 60 classes from 30 Flemish elementary schools, …

Umass Boston And Dever School: Supporting At-Risk Youth Through Physical Activity, Laura A. Hayden, Amy L. Cook, Meghan R. Silva

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Given the consistently poor academic performances of Latino English Language Learners (ELL) students, coupled with the known academic and behavioral benefits of physical activity, we implemented a culturally sensitive physical activity-based intervention designed to develop responsibility through movement among ELL Latina 5th graders. Two UMass Boston professors and four graduate students partnered with faculty at the Dever School to deliver this strength-based intervention.

Evaluation Of Gogirlgo!; A Practitioner Based Program To Improve Physical Activity, Jennifer L. Huberty, Danae M. Dinkel, Michael W. Beets

Health and Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Background:
GoGirlGo! (GGG) is designed to increase girls’ physical activity (PA) using a health behavior and PA-based curriculum and is widely available for free to afterschool programs across the nation. However, GGG has not been formally evaluated. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the GGG curricula to improve PA, and self-efficacy for and enjoyment of PA in elementary aged girls (i.e., 5-13 years).

Methods:
Nine afterschool programs were recruited to participate in the pilot (within subjects repeated measures design). GGG is a 12-week program, with a once a week, one-hour lesson with 30 minutes …

Physical Activity Barriers And Facilitators Among Working Mothers And Fathers, Emily L. Mailey, Jennifer Huberty, Danae M. Dinkel, Edward Mcauley

Health and Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Background: The transition to parenthood is consistently associated with declines in physical activity. In particular, working parents are at risk for inactivity, but research exploring physical activity barriers and facilitators in this population has been scarce. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine perceptions of physical activity among working parents.

Methods: Working mothers (n = 13) and fathers (n = 12) were recruited to participate in one of four focus group sessions and discuss physical activity barriers and facilitators. Data were analyzed using immersion/crystallization in NVivo 10.

Results: Major themes for barriers included family responsibilities, guilt, lack of …

A Qualitative Study Exploring Women’S Beliefs About Physical Activity After Stillbirth, Jennifer Huberty, Jason Coleman, Katherine Rolfsmeyer, Serena Wu

Health and Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Background: Research provides strong evidence for improvements in depressive symptoms as a result of physical activity participation in many populations including pregnant and post-partum women. Little is known about how women who have experienced stillbirth (defined as fetal death at 20 or more weeks of gestation) feel about physical activity or use physical activity following this experience. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore women’s beliefs about physical activity following a stillbirth.

Methods: This was an exploratory qualitative research study. Participants were English-speaking women between the ages of 19 and 44 years who experienced a stillbirth …