Evaluation of Kaiser Permamente Colorado’s Thriving Schools Initiative

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools Initiative, a program designed to increase physical activity (PA) in Colorado public schools. METHODS: This cross-site evaluation examined 27 public school districts funded to incorporate PA into the school day, operationalized as classroom PA (CPA), before and after school PA (BAPA), and PA occurring in physical education classes or recess (PERPA). All data were collected during the 2014-15 academic year using an online data management system. CPA were collected by asking randomly selected teachers in each school to report classroom PA during a one-week period, 2-3 times each semester. Programming for BAPA was reported by each district’s health coordinator and included day·w-1 offered, min·d-1 offered, and number of students participating. PERPA schedules were collected for each school and entered into an aggregate database containing all PA. Mean minutes of PA · d-1 was calculated using the sum of CPA, BAPA, and PERPA divided by the number of school days. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated. RESULTS: Most districts (76%) provided ≥ 30 min · d-1 (42.9±27.6 min · d-1) of PA, though only 36% provided 60 min·d-1. There were no significant differences in the likelihood of achieving mandated PA minutes based on school characteristics. Most PA minutes were offered in PERPA (66.8%). In fact, schools that reported more minutes in these two types of PA were significantly more likely to achieve mandated PA minutes. Schools with greater percentages of free and reduced lunch eligible students reported significantly fewer min·d-1 spent on PA in classrooms, PE, recess, and in total. Finally, coefficients for PE, recess, and total minutes indicate schools with greater percentages of minority students tend to report a greater number min · d-1 in said activities. CONCLUSION: These findings support increased efforts for PA promotion in public schools, though additional research is needed to identify best practices for implementing school-based PA promotion.