Increasing active physical education in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids

Abstract

Objectives: Pacific Islander children’s obesity-risk demands attention, particularly via physical activity (PA). SPARK (Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids) is proven to increase students’ PA, but has limited application with Pacific Islanders. We evaluated the SPARK program implementation in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System (CNMI-PSS). Methods: Fourteen elementary, four junior high, and five senior high schools from CNMI-PSS were invited with 2–5 representatives to SPARK trainings. The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time was utilized to observe a random sample of classes within a random sample of schools representing each level and was validated with pedometers. Results: Students increased their walking and vigorous activity during PE classes by 10% over the school year. Increases were found for lesson contexts of fitness activities and game play; and teacher interactions of promoting fitness, and managing. Teacher interactions in demonstrating fitness, instructing, and observing decreased. Conclusions: SPARK’s success in changing PE instruction and increasing PA time of CNMI students during the PE highlight suggests SPARK programs should be disseminated to other Pacific Islands and potentially beyond.