Staff

Self-Determination for Increasing Physical Activity
Dr. Dawn Wilson

Obesity in U.S. children is increasing and has become a major health threat to our society, especially among minority and low social economic status (SES) populations. Studies have shown that physical activity (PA) which is an important contributor to the increasing trend in childhood obesity rates, decreases in adolescence. Little evidence suggests that in school interventions lead to increases in overall PA. Thus, this project, funded by the National Institutes of Children Health and Human Development, will try a different tact and focus on intervening after-school. This project will evaluate the efficacy of an innovative student-centered after-school program for promoting increased PA among underserved adolescents (e.g., minorities, low SES). The student-centered intervention was developed based on Self-Determination (Motivation) Theory and Social Cognitive Theory. It emphasizes increasing intrinsic motivation and behavioral skills for PA through creative play. The program addresses skills such as: asking for and providing social support for being physically active, overcoming environmental barriers to being physically active, developing social skills for cooperative play, building PA skills in a fun, and supportive environment. Most importantly, the program is grounded in the idea that PA should be fun.

Adolescents in the student-centered program take ownership in developing the program, select physical activities that generate fun and interest, and generate their own coping strategies for making effective PA changes during a videotaped session. The project will use a school-based nested cohort design to evaluate efficacy of a 6-month student-centered program versus typical after-school program on increasing PA in underserved adolescents. Twenty-four middle schools (60 6th graders per school; N=1,680), located in South Carolina will be randomly assigned to one of two after-school programs. Evaluation measures include pre and post program PA levels and psychosocial variables associated with increasing PA (i.e. PA self-efficacy, self-concept, motivation, social support, and enjoyment) as potential mediators of the intervention on changes. This study will address an important public health problem that will have implications for decreasing obesity in underserved adolescents.

PROJECT ACT STAFF CONTACT LIST

top