Active Science Pilot Study

Abstract

One of the major factors contributing to childhood obesity is physical inactivity. It is recommended that children and adolescents participate in sixty minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily. Recently, afterschool programs have been identified as ideal settings where children (5-14 years) can accumulate a significant portion of their total daily, recommended level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of the Active Science program delivered in different site locations across the U.S. The program integrates physical activity with science learning for children in the afterschool setting. METHODS:Participants were 72 children (35 females, mean age=9.2 years, SD=0.9) from five YMCA afterschool childcare sites located in five states. The six-week Active Science program was implemented twice per week for 60 minutes at a YMCA afterschool site. The participants completed thirty minutes of physical activity followed by a science lesson delivered through the Active Science Mobile App. Sites were randomly assigned to Active Science and the control (i.e., regular after school program). After six weeks, the sites switched to enable both groups to receive the intervention. Science tests and accelerometers were used to measure science performance, steps, and MVPA minutes. RESULTS: For the Active Science group, the pre and post improvement was significant, p<.05. Average science test scores for pre and post-tests were M=58.46, SD=21.79 and M=69.39, SD=14.07, respectively. For physical activity, participants had significantly higher steps/hour when they completed the Active Science program compared to when they were in the regular afterschool program, M=1826, SD=571, M=685, SD=161, respectively, F(1,55)=280, p<.001. Significant differences were found of MVPA%, M=38.16%, SD=20.05%, M=30.03%, SD=14.83%, respectively, F(1.55)=44.8, p<.001. CONCLUSION: The results supported that Active Science promotes physical activity participation and facilitates science learning for children in the afterschool environment, and can be effectively delivered by minimally trained staff in multiple locations.