VERB Summer Scorecard: Change Across Time in Physical Activity

A new program called the VERB Summer Scorecard was designed which aimed at increasing physical activity among tweens (9-13 years) by creating and enhancing access to places to be physical active during the summer months. To evaluate changes across time in physical activity associated with program participation, cumulative logit models were employed in three groups of students: participants, refusers and the reference groups. These models can provide odds ratios for activity levels of the participants and the refusers relative to the reference group. In 2006, the model suggests increases in the log odds ratios for the intervention group compared to the reference group in 2006 (log OR = .5255, p-value = .0032), meaning participants were more likely to be active 2 days or more a week in 2006 relative to the reference group. In 2007, students in the “intervention” group were consistently more likely to be active in every category compared with those in the reference group. The students were 1.58 (log OR = 0.4542, p-value < .0001), 1.42 (log OR=0.3518, p-value < .0001), and 1.36 (OR=0.3056, p-value <.0001), times as likely as those in the reference group for 2007 to exercise 2 days or more, 4 days or more, and 6-7 days, respectively. Results demonstrated increased physical activity over time among participants in Verb Summer Scorecard. The analysis cannot provide insight to the causality for becoming physically active. The data do, however, show a relationship between summer participation and increased levels of physical activity in the subsequent fall.