The SPARK Programs: A Public Health Model of Physical Education Research and Dissemination (original) (raw)
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Afterschool Matters, 2010
Children in the United States are not engaging in sufficient amounts of routine physical activity, and this lack is an emerging public health concern (Strong, Malina, Blimkie, Daniels, Dishman, Gutin, et al., 2005). Efforts to increase the physical activity levels of children and adolescents has become a national priority, attracting attention from professionals in medicine, public health, education, recreation, economics, and health promotion (Pate, et al., 2006). In an effort to promote physical activity among all Americans, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS, 2008) created evidencebased (Strong, et al., 2005) physical activity guidelines. They recommend that children engage daily in 60 minutes or more of developmentally appropriate, enjoyable physical activities that are moderate to vigorous in intensity. Nationally, youth are not meeting these guidelines. Of particular concern are the low physical activity levels among underserved youth in, for example, rural, minority, and low-income communities (Adams, 2006; Hortz,
Evaluation of a Two-Year Middle-School Physical Education Intervention: M-SPAN
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2004
Purpose: School physical education (PE) is highly recommended as a means of promoting physical activity, and randomized studies of health-related PE interventions in middle schools have not been reported. We developed, implemented, and assessed an intervention to increase physical activity during middle-school PE classes. Methods: Twenty-four middle schools (approximately 25,000 students, 45% nonwhite) in Southern California participated in a randomized trial. Schools were assigned to intervention (N ϭ 12) or control (N ϭ 12) conditions, and school was the unit of analysis. A major component of the intervention was a 2-yr PE program, which consisted of curricular materials, staff development, and on-site follow-up. Control schools continued usual programs. Student activity and lesson context were observed in 1849 PE lessons using a validated instrument during baseline and intervention years 1 and 2. Results: The intervention significantly (P ϭ 0.02) improved student moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in PE, by approximately 3 min per lesson. Effects were cumulative; by year 2 intervention schools increased MVPA by 18%. Effect sizes were greater for boys (d ϭ 0.98; large) than girls (d ϭ 0.68; medium). Conclusions: A standardized program increased MVPA in middle schools without requiring an increase in frequency or duration of PE lessons. Program components were well received by teachers and have the potential for generalization to other schools. Additional strategies may be needed for girls.
Long-Term Implementation of the Catch Physical Education Program
Health Education & Behavior, 2003
To test the effectiveness of the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) program, a randomized trial was conducted in 96 elementary schools in four regions of the United States. Results from the original trial indicated a significant positive effect on the delivery of physical education (PE). All 56 former intervention schools (FI), 20 randomly selected former control schools (FC), and 12 newly selected unexposed control schools (UC) were assessed 5 years postintervention. Results indicate a strong secular trend of increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in PE classes among both FC and UC schools. The FI schools surpassed the Healthy People 2010 goal for MVPA during PE lesson time (i.e., 50%), whereas the FC and UC schools came close to it. Barriers to implementing CATCH PE included insufficient training and lower importance of PE compared to other academic areas and indicate the need for in-service training.
Special Issue: Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs
Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 2014
Annotation: The Editors' Notes address two different topics using two parts: (a) a discussion of this Special Issue on Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs and (b) a brief suggesting that authors/reviewers might consider using a broader range of models and methods in research papers submitted to JTPE along with one example of this potentially broadened scope via mixed methods.
Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs: Roots and Potential Growth
Journal of physical education, recreation & dance, 2022
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) on classroom behavior in low-income children. Methods: The participants included 1460 children recruited from 3 low-income schools receiving governmental financial assistance. A total of 77 classrooms were observed across grades K through 6. Classrooms were observed one week prior to the implementation of CSPAP and at 6 weeks and 12 weeks after commencement of the program. Members of the research team observed classroom behavior using systematic observation, specifically a 5-second momentary time sampling procedure. A generalized linear mixed effects model was used to determine the change in odds of a classroom achieving at least 80% on-task behavior following the implementation of CSPAP. Results: There were 7.49 (95% CI: 2.83, 19.79) greater odds of a classroom achieving 80% on-task behavior at 6 weeks compared to baseline and a 27.93 (95% CI: 7.93, 98.29) greater odds of a classroom achieving 80% on-task behavior at 12 weeks compared to baseline (p < .001). Conclusions: After the CSPAP was implemented, on-task classroom behavior significantly improved across all grade levels.
Evaluation and Program Planning, 2019
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Procedia. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2017
The aim of this paper is to describe the methodology applied to develop and launch the implementation of physical activity curriculum (SPARK) at several schools in the Central Valley of California. The SPARK Early Childhood Program is one of eight within the SPARK Coordinated School Health (CSH) model. This research try to create environments that promote healthful behaviors at school and in the community for both children and adults. Overweight and obese children are likely to develop serious health problems. Among children in the U.S., Latino children are affected disproportionally by the obesity epidemic. Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family) is a five-year, multi-faceted intervention study to decrease the rate of BMI growth in Mexican origin children in California’s Central Valley. This study is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture, grant number 2011-68001-30167. The NSFS project consists of four major component interventions in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, economic and art-community engagement to induce behavioral change in our target population in order to achieve obesity prevention. SPARK Physical Education (PE) represents a paradigm shift in the traditional PE world. The SPARK programs are designed to involve all children, be more active, incorporate social skills, and emphasize both health-related fitness and skill development.
2016
The aim of this paper is to describe the methodology applied to develop and launch the implementation of physical activity curriculum (SPARK) at several schools in the Central Valley of California. The SPARK Early Childhood Program is one of eight within the SPARK Coordinated School Health (CSH) model. This research try to create environments that promote healthful behaviors at school and in the community for both children and adults. Overweight and obese children are likely to develop serious health problems. Among children in the U.S., Latino children are affected disproportionally by the obesity epidemic. Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family) is a five-year, multi-faceted intervention study to decrease the rate of BMI growth in Mexican origin children in California's Central Valley. This study is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture, grant number 2011-68001-30167. The NSFS project consists of four major component interventions in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, economic and art-community engagement to induce behavioral change in our target population in order to achieve obesity prevention. SPARK Physical Education (PE) represents a paradigm shift in the traditional PE world. The SPARK programs are designed to involve all children, be more active, inorporate social skills, and emphasize both health-related fitness and sill development.