To assess the impact of the use of fitness-monitoring technology, when added to the regular physical education curriculum, on students’ physical fitness levels and on teachers’ attitudes toward physical education.
Further Study Details:
The 6 participating schools were divided into 2 groups, a pilot group and a control group. The groups were comprised of:2 elementary classes (4th grade),2 middle school classes (6th grade) and2 high school classes (9th -12th grade).The three pilot schools used heart rate monitors, pedometers, Trifit machine, BIO measure machine (BMI) and/or increased physical education class time to improve fitness levels. The study was designed so that each pilot school would use each piece of equipment in three 2-month cycles. Measures of fitness levels were recorded at the beginning and end of the school year using Fitnessgram; the measures included:aerobic capacity,Body Mass Index,abdominal muscle strength,upper body strength, andflexibility.Opinions of teachers in Intervention schools were elicited through surveys.
Findings:
A small number of students took part in this pilot study19 Intervention and 18 Control students in 4th grade,25 Intervention and 21 Control students in 6th grade, and12 Intervention and 9 Control students in high school.The groups (chosen by convenience sampling) had statistically significant differences at baseline in some measures of physical fitness levels. Overall, students in the Control schools had statistically significant improvements in some of the fitness measures compared to those in the Intervention schools. Due to the small sample size and differences at baseline among students, it is difficult to draw conclusions about these results. It would be advisable to conduct a larger study with a larger sample size.Teachers who completed the surveys agreed that the use of the new technology during physical education classes raised awareness of physical fitness among participating students. They reported that it was easy to incorporate the technology into the existing curriculum, and that the amount of physical testing using the technology was not overwhelming to teachers or students. The teachers agreed that students would be interested and willing to use the new technology. Finally, they strongly agreed that the number of hours devoted to physical activity throughout the school day should and can be increased, and that it would be possible to overcome any obstacles to implementing a school program that increases daily physical activity among students.
Eligibility:
Students enrolled in the intervention and control schools in the New Haven Public Schools District
Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center