Engaging Youth Voices To Create Supportive School Environments For Healthy Eating And Physical Activity

Abstract Background: The Students As LifeStyle Activists (SALSA) Program is an effective Australian peer-led leadership program offered to high schools. SALSA Youth Voices (SYV) is a novel extension of the SALSA program, providing SALSA Peer Leaders with an opportunity to further develop leadership skills, and to design and implement an intervention to promote healthy eating and physical activity within their school. The objectives of this study were to 1) measure the acceptability of the SYV program, 2) determine skills gained by peer leaders from participating in SYV, and 3) determine whether peer leaders successfully implemented a student-designed healthy eating/physical activity intervention. Methods: Schools which participated in the SALSA program in 2019 were invited to a Leadership Day workshop (Term 3) where SALSA Peer Leaders identified and planned an activity to promote healthy eating and/or physical activity at their school, and an Action Day (Term 4) where peer leaders presented their interventions to 100 health and education professionals. Peer leaders completed two brief online surveys at the end of the Leadership Day and upon registration at the Action Day. Results: Eighty-four peer leaders (aged 14–15 years) from seven high schools in western Sydney (mean Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) = 951) participated in SYV. Peer leaders reported their involvement with the SYV program as positive, with 68% rating it as “very valuable”. Skills gained by the peer leaders included teamwork (90%), communication (85%), leadership (77%) and confidence (65%). Peer leaders planned and devised interventions included installing water refill stations, improving school gyms, redesigning girls’ sports shorts, and other strategies to engage girls in physical activity. Most peer leaders reported their intervention was successfully implemented and sustainable in their school. Conclusions: SYV provides a unique leadership opportunity for students from socio-economically disadvantaged areas to be effective agents of change to create opportunities for students to participate in physical activity and improve healthy food options at school.

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Schools and Obesity Prevention: Creating School Environments and Policies to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity

Milbank Quarterly ◽

10.1111/j.1468-0009.2009.00548.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 87 (1) ◽

pp. 71-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 404

Author(s):

MARY STORY ◽

MARILYN S. NANNEY ◽

MARLENE B. SCHWARTZ

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Obesity Prevention ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

School Environments

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Formative Development of a Technology-Based Physical Activity Intervention for Grandparents and Grandchildren

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.2020-0481 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Marissa A. Kobayashi ◽

Sara M. St. George ◽

Rafael O. Leite ◽

Blanca Noriega Esquives ◽

Rachel Wetstone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Pilot Trial ◽

Intervention Development ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

User Centered Design ◽

Agents Of Change ◽

Adults And Children ◽

Family Closeness

Physical inactivity is a major public health issue among older adults and children. This study presents preliminary results that will inform the development of a technology-based physical activity intervention for grandparents and grandchildren (ages 6–12 years old). The authors used an iterative user-centered design framework to gather quantitative data from grandparents (n = 35) and subsequently invited a subset of 12 of them to engage in qualitative interviews. Participants were 63.1 ± 9.8 years old, 80% female, 64% U.S.-born, 43% Hispanic, 66% single, and 40% <$15K income. The majority of grandparents reported mobile device proficiency, very close relationships with their grandchildren, and interest in participating in an intergenerational intervention. Four key themes related to family closeness, dynamics, routines, and technology informed intervention development. Next steps involved a pilot trial using Fitbits and a fully functioning technology-based prototype. Grandparents are uniquely positioned within their families to serve as agents of change in health-promoting interventions.

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A Pilot School-Based Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Intervention Improves Diet, Food Knowledge, and Self-Efficacy for Native Canadian Children

Journal of Nutrition ◽

10.1093/jn/135.10.2392 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 135 (10) ◽

pp. 2392-2398 ◽

Cited By ~ 73

Author(s):

Brit I. Saksvig ◽

Joel Gittelsohn ◽

Stewart B. Harris ◽

Anthony J. G. Hanley ◽

Tom W. Valente ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Native Canadian ◽

School Based ◽

Food Knowledge ◽

Pilot School

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Child Obesity Prevention Intervention in Kuwaiti Summer Camps Targeting Health Behaviors in Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Screen Time

Journal of Health Science and Medical Research ◽

10.31584/jhsmr.2020765 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ghanima Alfaleh ◽

Fatma G. Huffman ◽

Tan Li ◽

Joan A. Vaccaro

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

Screen Time ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Intervention Group ◽

T Test ◽

Summer Camps ◽

P Value ◽

Healthy Habits

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of an eight-week nutrition and physical activity intervention, entitled: “My Healthy Habits”, at summer camps to prevent obesity, reduce screen time, promote healthy eating habits and physical activity among children. Material and Methods: Eight-week pretest-posttest: intervention versus a comparison group was conducted, in two comparable summer camps in Kuwait and randomized at the site level. Convenient sampling (n=79) included children aged 6-10, receiving 8 weeks of nutrition education: 2 days/week, 40 minutes/day and physical activity sessions: 4 days/week for 20 minutes/day. Outcomes included: the Modified Healthy Habits Survey (items about diet, physical activity and sedentary behavior) and anthropomorphic: Body mass index (BMI) for age and gender percentile and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Group changes were measured by independent t-test, and within group changes by the McNemar’s test (categorical data) and paired t-test (interval data). Results: Significant increases in nutrition knowledge scores (from 4.3±1.7 to 10.5±1.2) and in the total score of the major food groups (from 10.0±2.6 to 13.7±2.2) were observed from pretest to posttest. Healthy eating significantly increased (from 12.8±1.8 to 14.5±1.5) for the intervention group only; however, intake of French fries, chips (FF) and sugarsweetened beverages (SSB) remained the same for both groups. Physical activity increased and screen time decreased,only in the intervention group. The participants’ BMI and WHtR decreased significantly in the intervention group: p-value=0.001. Conclusion: Healthy food and physical activity increased, while screen time decreased. Consumption of unhealthy food (FF and SSB) remains an issue.

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Environments Change Child Behavior, But Who Changes Environments?

Kinesiology Review ◽

10.1123/kr.2014-0077 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 71-76

Author(s):

John B. Bartholomew

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

Eating Behaviors ◽

School Administrators ◽

Early Research ◽

Ecological Approach ◽

School Environments ◽

The Individual ◽

Support Activity ◽

Children’S Physical Activity

Numerous interventions have been designed to modify children's physical activity and eating behaviors. While early research centered on the individual as the target of intervention, more recent work targets change in the environment. These studies have consistently supported the importance of environmental contributors to both physical activity and eating behavior, but little research has considered those who are responsible for implementing environmental change. For example, if we expect school environments to support activity and healthy eating, we must consider the motivation of school administrators to affect change. This review will present examples of an ecological approach to behavior change along with recent data to support this approach.

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Healthy Immigrant Families: Randomized Controlled Trial of a Family-Based Nutrition and Physical Activity Intervention

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/0890117117733342 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 473-484 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Mark L. Wieland ◽

Marcelo M. M. Hanza ◽

Jennifer A. Weis ◽

Sonja J. Meiers ◽

Christi A. Patten ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Immigrant Families ◽

Healthy Eating Index ◽

Dietary Quality ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Phone Calls

Purpose: To evaluate a healthy eating and physical activity intervention for immigrant families, derived through community-based participatory research. Design: The Healthy Immigrant Families study was a randomized controlled trial with delayed intervention control group, with families as the randomization unit. Setting: US Midwest city. Participants: Participants were recruited by community partners from Hispanic, Somali, and Sudanese immigrant communities. Intervention: Family health promoters from participating communities delivered 6 healthy eating modules, 4 physical activity modules, and 2 modules synthesizing information in 12 home visits (60-90 minutes) within the first 6 months. Up to 12 follow-up phone calls to each participant occurred within the second 6 months. Measures: Primary measures were dietary quality measured with weekday 24-hour recall and reported as Healthy Eating Index score (0-100) and physical activity measured with accelerometers (14 wear days) at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months. Results: In total, 151 persons (81 adolescents and 70 adults; 44 families) were randomly assigned. At 12 months, significant improvement occurred in Healthy Eating Index scores for adults in the intervention group compared with controls (change, +8.6 vs −4.4; P < .01) and persisted at 24 months (+7.4 from baseline; P < .01). No differences were observed for adolescents and no significant differences occurred between groups for physical activity. Conclusion: This intervention produced sustained dietary quality improvement among adults but not among adolescents. Program outcomes are relevant to communities working to decrease cardiovascular risk among immigrant populations.

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