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HealthyPlaces.org > Healthy
Youth Places Study
Healthy Youth Places: The Study
To determine if an intervention strategy that implements
school environmental change – with adult leader and youth
participation – will influence and maintain fruit and
vegetable consumption and physical activity.
Middle school was the unit of recruitment, random assignment, and analysis.
Sixteen middle school settings were grouped then randomized on these characteristics
of the schools:
- size – number of students who are enrolled on the
20th day of school
- concentration of poverty – percentage of students
who receive free or reduced-price lunches
- diversity – percentage of students of African-American/Black,
Hispanic, and other ethnic status
To control for influence of season on diet and
activity, data was collected on this schedule:
- Baseline Assessment, 6th Grade 2000, April
- Post Intervention, 7th Grade 2000-2001, April
- Post Intervention, 8th Grade 2001-2002, April
- Follow up, 9th Grade 2002-2003, April
- New High School Environment Follow-up
Adoption: 16 middle schools, all with 6th through
8th grades at one site, participated in the study.
- site-based management by size and homogeneity
Reach: total number of participants enrolled on the
20th day of school term
- Active parental consent
- 6th grade (77%), 7th grade (80%), 8th grade (68%)
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Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
- Food Frequency Questionnaire (Rockett et al.,
1997)
- Servings of fruit and vegetables per day (F&V)
Physical Activity
- Previous Day Physical Activity Recall (PDPAR;
Weston, Petosa, & Pate, 1996)
- Moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA)
- Vigorous physical activity (VPA)
Self-Efficacy-Regulatory
- F&V Environmental Change-Home
- Get your parents to help you include your favorite
fruits in your lunch
- PA Environmental Change-Home
- Get your parents to help you find different types
of physical activities you can do
- F&V Environmental Change-School
- Get cafeteria workers to offer more fresh fruit options
(like strawberries and apples) for your lunch
- PA Environmental Change-School
- Get the after-school program staff to plan physical
activities for you and the other members of the after-school
program
The Healthy Places Framework
- Place-based diffusion system
- Resources
- Place-based planning and implementation model
Theory-Based Resources
- Mastery Accomplishments
- Place-based strategic and action planning
(Goal setting and feedback)
- Environmental Change Active Learning Curriculum
Modules
- Social Modeling – Videos illustrating
environmental change by other “like” schools (iMovie
software, digital camera, and twice yearly video training)
- Social Persuasion
- Performance community group-based training, technical,
and social support with site coordinators
- Change team group-based training, technical support,
and social with adult and youth leaders
- Internet on line collaboration tools for site leaders
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Step 1 |
Target a place |
After School Program |
Step 2 |
State and document an objective |
How will we develop a healthy place?
How will we promote (contact and attract) participants to the place (after
school program)? |
Step 3 |
Check "Reach" |
Number, proportion and representativeness
of after school participants |
Step 4 |
Check "Quality" |
Strategies to develop the place?
Policies, programs, and practices to promote connection, autonomy, skill-building,
and healthy norms (physical activity and healthy eating options)
Strategies to promote the place? |
Step 5 |
Identify resources and implement |
Group goal setting, Monitoring, and Feedback |
The Change Team Process
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