| Description |
Efforts to decrease the risk of overweight and obesity from an early age should focus on children's physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. Within school-based interventions, there is insufficient evidence on the effectiveness of the use of peer modeling and goal setting to determine changes in step counts, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and FV consumption. This dissertation undertook a three-study approach to examine the impact of a school-based intervention on PA intensity and FV consumption intensity in third- to fifth-grade and to examine students' experiences participating. Students participated in the project for 6 weeks. Activity monitors were used to assess number of steps taken and the number of minutes spent in MVPA. FV consumption was measured by direct observation and a nutrition questionnaire. Students received a letter from the Fit ‘n' Cool Kids with his or her activity monitor target goal as well as FV consumption goal. Results showed no significant difference between the control school and intervention school at baseline F(1,186) = 3.62, (p > .05). Steps taken were statistically significantly greater in the intervention (M = 5631.471, SE = 249.443, p < .05) compared to the control group over time (M = 3151.027, SE = 182.432, p < .05). There was a statistically significant effect of time on step counts for the intervention group, F(5, 110) = 4.082, p = .002, partial η2 = .157. There was a statistically significant interaction between the intervention group and MVPA over time, F(4.222, 270.207) = 2.804, p < .05, partial η2 = .042, ? = .844. MVPA was statistically significantly greater in the intervention (M = 20.43, SE = 0.990, p < .05). In the qualitative study, participants mentioned that the intervention as a whole was fun for them. The students thought that the characters were cool and expressed that it was fun to see characters they could relate to. The goal setting kept them interested in the intervention and increased their motivation to participate each week. The intervention showed the potential of self-monitoring, goal setting, and peer modeling for increasing MVPA and step counts at school. |
