Physical Activity Promotion Program Effectiveness on Changing Youth Aerobic Capacity and BMI Longitudinal Trajectories

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Fuel Up to PLAY 60 and PLAY 60 Challenge are the most widely used physical activity promotion programs in the NFL PLAY 60 campaign. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these programs on promoting physical fitness in school settings. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of NFL PLAY 60 programming on longitudinal trajectories of youth aerobic capacity and Body Mass Index (BMI). METHODS: Data were from the NFL PLAY 60 FITNESSGRAM Partnership Project, a large participatory research project. A total of 403 schools completed assessments of aerobic capacity and BMI annually from 2010 to 2014 and these data were processed using established FITNESSGRAM standards to calculate the percentage of students meeting the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) for each test. Adoption of NFL PLAY 60 programming was encouraged in the project, but not required. Schools were considered to be a “programming school” if they reported using one of the programs at least 2 times over the 4 years of tracking (data obtained from annual survey). Multilevel modeling was used to estimate the change in the longitudinal trajectories of aerobic capacity and BMI HFZ achievement for schools that participated (or did not participate) in NFL PLAY 60 programming. The gender effects as well as the effects of socio-economic status on longitudinal trajectories were also examined. RESULTS: Approximately 18% of schools met the criteria of being an NFL PLAY 60 programming school. Annual improvements in aerobic capacity HFZ achievement were significantly greater in programming schools for both boys (3.42%, P<0.05) and girls (2.98%, P<0.05). Significant differences in trajectories of BMI HFZ achievement were evident in girls from programming schools (1.40%, P<0.05) but not in boys. Analyses revealed that low SES programming schools had larger improvements in aerobic capacity and BMI HFZ achievement than high SES programming schools (except for boys BMI HFZ achievement). CONCLUSIONS: The results of these longitudinal analyses support the utility of NFL PLAY 60 physical activity promotion programs for improving youth aerobic capacity and reversing the prevalence of overweight/obesity. Bigger effects were evident in low SES schools suggesting potential benefits for reducing disparities. Supported by the NFL Foundation.