BackgroundOver the past 30 years, obesity in the United States has increased twofold in children and threefold in adolescents. In Georgia, nearly 17% of children aged 10 – 17 are obese. In response to the high prevalence of child obesity in Georgia and the potential deleterious consequences that this can have, HealthMPowers was founded in 1999 with the goal of preventing childhood obesity by improving health-enhancing behaviors in elementary schools, utilizing a holistic three-year program. This study measures the effectiveness of the HealthMPowers program in improving the school environment, student knowledge, behavior, cardiovascular fitness levels, and Body Mass Index (BMI).MethodsThe present analysis utilizes data from 40 schools that worked with HealthMPowers over the course of the 2012 – 2013 school year (including schools at each of the three years of the intervention period) and provided information on demographics, student knowledge and behaviors, BMI, performance on the PACER test of aerobic capacity, and school practices and policies (measured via school self-assessment with the HealthMPowers-developed instrument “Continuous Improvement Tracking Tool” or CITT), measured at the beginning and end of each school year. Paired two-sample T tests were used to compare continuous variables (e.g., student knowledge scores, BMI-for-age Z scores), while chi-squared tests were used to assess categorical variables (e.g., trichotomized PACER performance).ResultsStudents across all grades and cohorts demonstrated improvements in knowledge and self-reported behaviors, with particularly significant improvements for third-graders in schools in the second year of the HealthMPowers program (p < 0.0001). Similarly, decreases were observed in BMI-for-Age Z scores for this cohort (and others) across grades and gender, with the most significant decreases for students overweight or obese at baseline (p < 0.0005). Students also showed significant increases in performance on the PACER test across grades and cohorts (p < 0.0001). Lastly, schools tended to improve their practices over time, as measured via the CITT instrument.ConclusionsThe present report demonstrates the effectiveness of the HealthMPowers program in producing positive change in school policies and practices, student knowledge and behaviors, and student fitness and BMI, supporting the use of holistic interventions to address childhood obesity.

The surveys provided a statewide picture of the physical activity opportunities offered to students and staff members in Georgia elementary schools and demonstrated the effective use of a comprehensive, multicomponent program to offer more school-based physical activity opportunities and to improve student fitness.

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Background It is recommended that school-aged children accrue 30 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in school. Current literature is inconclusive about the long-term associations between school-based physical activity and academic achievement. In this study, we use a large sample and longitudinal design to rigorously evaluate whether school-day MVPA is associated with academic achievement. Methods In a diverse suburban public school district, 4936 Grade 4 students were recruited in 40 elementary schools. Students wore accelerometers to measure school-day MVPA for 15 days across three semesters. Academic performance data was collected across Grade 3 fall to Grade 5 spring, including teacher-assigned grades and standardized test scores. Multilevel modeling was conducted controlling for student demographics and school characteristics. Results Cross-sectional analyses found small negative associations in Grade 4. Grade 4 full-year mean daily school-day MVPA had β = −-0.066, β = −-0.063, β = −-0.066, and β = −-0.058 associations (p <  0.001) with Grade 4 math, reading, spelling, and writing grades respectively, and Grade 4 full-year mean daily school-day MVPA had β = −-0.206 and β = −-0.283 (p <  0.001) associations with Grade 4 math and English Language Arts (ELA) standardized test scores respectively out of approximately 500 points. Longitudinal analyses found no significant associations between Grade 4 full-year mean daily school-day MVPA and Grade 5 Fall course grades. Results also indicated small negative associations for students attaining 30+ minutes of daily school-day MVPA compared to those attaining less than 15 minutes, but only in Grade 4 Fall cross-sectional analyses where teacher-assigned reading, spelling, and writing grades were − 1.666, − 1.638, and − 1.993 points lower respectively (p <  0.001). Conclusion The cross-sectional findings, while statistically significant in a negative direction, have a negligible association when translated practically. For example, even if students attained twice the recommended amount of school-day MVPA – which would constitute an approximately 300% increase from current levels – results suggest that grades would only decrease by 2 points on a 100-point scale. Furthermore, longitudinal analyses suggest school-day MVPA does not have a predictive association with course grades or standardized test scores. Findings suggest school-based MVPA implemented in accordance with recommendations does not meaningfully detract from academic progress. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03765047. Registered 05 December 2018 - Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03765047

There has been a shift in higher education from traditional lecture-based learning to incorporating high-impact practices and experiential learning. These practices offer students an opportunity to engage in real-world settings that allow them to apply course content directly into practice. In order for high-impact practices to be effective, both program implementation and evaluation should be conducted collaboratively with community stakeholders, also known as community-based participatory research (CBPR). The Girls Empowering Movement (GEM) initiative, an out-of-school time physical activity program, is an example of CBPR in that it was developed by middle school girls, for middle school girls. The purpose of this article is to provide the framework used to recruit and train undergraduate students to collaboratively lead the GEM initiative in the southeastern United States. This article discusses how community partnerships were created, how specific content and curricular decisions were made to foster a unique learning experience, and how evaluation protocols were created to ensure undergraduate learning and community collaboration.

Background Many children do not engage in sufficient physical activity, and schools provide a unique venue for children to reach their recommended 60 daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Prior research examining effects of MVPA on academic achievement is inconclusive, and few studies have investigated potential moderators of this relationship. This study examined whether student-level characteristics (gender, race/ethnicity, free/reduced-price lunch status) and school-level characteristics (proportion of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch, physical activity environment and opportunities) moderate the relationship between MVPA and academic achievement. Methods In a large, diverse metropolitan public school district in Georgia, 4,936 students in Grade 4 were recruited from 40 elementary schools. Students wore accelerometers to measure school-day MVPA for a total of 15 days across three semesters (fall 2018, spring 2019, fall 2019). Academic achievement data, including course marks (grades) for math, reading, spelling, and standardized test scores in writing, math, reading, and Lexile (reading assessment), were collected at baseline (Grade 3, ages 8–9) and at follow-up in Grade 4 (ages 9–10). Standardized test scores were not measured in Grade 5 (ages 10–11) due to COVID-19-related disruptions. Multilevel modeling assessed whether student-level and/or school-level characteristics were moderators in the cross-sectional and longitudinal MVPA-academic achievement relationship. Results Cross sectional analyses indicated that the MVPA and AA relationship was moderated only by student Hispanic ethnicity for Grade 4 fall spelling marks (β = -0.159 p < 0.001). The relationship for Grade 4 fall spelling marks was also moderated by school physical activity opportunities (β = -0.128 (p < 0.001). Longitudinally, there was no significant moderation of the MVPA-academic achievement. A relationship by student gender, free/reduced-price lunch status, race/ethnicity; nor for school-level factors including proportion of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch, physical activity environment, and physical activity opportunities. Conclusions Overall, our results did not suggest that student- or school-level characteristics moderate the MVPA-academic achievement relationship. While statistically significant results were observed for certain outcomes, practical differences were negligible. In this population, school-based MVPA does not appear to differently affect academic performance based on student gender, race/ethnicity, free/reduced-price lunch, nor school characteristics. Trial registration This study was registered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ClinicalTrials.gov system, with ID NCT03765047. Registered 05 December 2018—Retrospectively registered.

Introduction/Purpose: It is recommended that children get 60 min of moderateto-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily. Previous research on MVPA's effect on academic achievement (AA) is inconclusive, and few studies have investigated the relationship's mediators. This study assessed whether cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and body mass index (BMI) mediate the school-based MVPA-AA relationship. Methods: Grade 4 students (n = 4936) were recruited in 40 elementary schools from a large, diverse US public school district. Students wore accelerometers measuring school-day MVPA for 15 d across three semesters. Academic performance data were collected from grades 3 to 5, and CRF and BMI were measured in grades 4 and 5. Multilevel modeling assessed whether BMI and CRF were mediators in the cross-sectional and longitudinal MVPA-AA relationship. Stratified analyses assessed differences in mediation by sex. Results: Cross-sectional analyses found that school-day MVPA had a significant positive indirect effect through higher CRF for various teacher-assigned course grades and English language arts standardized test scores (all P < 0.001). Cross-sectional analyses found no significant mediation through BMI. Longitudinal analyses found that a 10-min increase in daily grade 4 school-day MVPA was associated with higher CRF with 0.16-, 0.09-, and 0.14-point increases in grade 5 math, reading, and writing grades, respectively (all P < 0.001). Decreased grade 4 BMI mediated a 0.06-point increase and 0.05-point increase for grade 5 math and writing grades, respectively (both P < 0.001). The total effect of school-day MVPA on AA was negative but negligible in practical terms. Stratified analyses found more evidence for positive indirect effects through CRF among females. Conclusions: School-day MVPA can positively impact AA through increased CRF and (to a lesser extent) lowered BMI, but the effect is negligible. The negative total effects and positive indirect effects suggest that there are other unmeasured mediators. It remains important for schools to protect school-based physical activity given its health benefits.

Physical activity (PA) behavior tends to decline as youth get older, especially in female adolescents. The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of female adolescent moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) behavior. Baseline MVPA data was collected during year one of a female-specific PA related program. The Youth Activity Profile was administered to contextualize current middle school female PA levels. Data were collected on over 600 6th–8th grade youths with even distributions by grade. No significant differences between grade, race/ethnicity, and MVPA minutes were found. The average estimated value for daily MVPA across all grades was 43.93 (+/−12.97) min, which is considerably lower than the public health recommendation of 60 min per days. Similar amounts were observed for weekend days 45.03 (+/−19.98) and weekdays 45.50 (+/−13.14); however, allocations were smaller during school (9.45 +/− 5.13 min) than at home (34.04 +/− 11.15). The findings from this study highlight the need for further investigation in developing sustainable and innovative PA interventions that target adolescent females.