Assessing attitudes, knowledge and intentions held by pre-service teachers regarding North Carolina's Healthy Active Children policy

The Healthy Active Children Policy (HAC) was adopted by the North Carolina State Board of Education to ensure a physically active environment for elementary and middle school students. The policy requires a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity per day for all K-8 students. Additionally, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provides teachers with content specific lesson plans (i.e., Energizers) that introduce physical activity into the learning process. The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission is providing support for the HAC policy by funding elementary and middle school teacher trainings as well as development of a content-rich website to further support teachers. The trainings, facilitated by Be Active NC educate teachers about the HAC policy, prepare teachers to implement Energizers, and introduce teachers to online resources. Using a train-the-trainer model, Be Active NC has trained approximately 16,000 teachers. Post-survey results indicate increases in HAC awareness, and teacher confidence to implement Energizers in the classroom. Be Active NC will continue using this model to train the remaining 63,000 untrained NC K-8 teachers. An alternative training model designed to promote adherence to the HAC Policy and program sustainability, is being pilot tested with 90 pre-service teachers (30 treatment 1 (training), 30 treatment 2 (training plus booster), and 30 control) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Preliminary results indicate an increased knowledge of the HAC policy and resources, improved attitudes toward policy adherence, and stronger intentions to adhere to the HAC policy and use available resources.