259900 Influence of strategic planning on children's physical activity behaviors

Monday, October 29, 2012

Melissa Wigginton, DrPH, CHES , Department of Health Sciences, California Baptist University, Riverside, CA
Jerry W. Lee, PhD , Health Promotion and Education, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA
Helen Hopp Marshak, PhD , School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
Kiti Freier, PhD , School of Science & Technology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
Introduction: Given the rates of childhood obesity in the US, it is important that prevention and treatment programs focus on increasing physical activity (PA). Thus, there is a need to examine what influences children to be physically active so effective programs can be developed and implemented. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of strategic planning on children's PA behaviors. Methods: The study was a prospective, observational design with two data collection points, one week apart. During the first observation, participants were given a 35-item questionnaire that assessed several influences of children's PA and the PA questionnaire for older children (PAQ-C). During the second observation, participants were given the PAQ-C again and height and weight was measured. Participants included 345 children ages 8 to 14 years in the fourth through eighth grades in Southern California. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were used in this study. Results: Coping planning was found to significantly predict 29.8% of the variance in children's PA behaviors (p<0.001) and action planning significantly predicted an additional 11.9% (p<0.001). Thus strategic planning predicted 41.7% of the variance in children's PA behaviors. Planning for homework commitments and planning when to exercise were significant (p<0.001) independent predictors of children's PA behaviors. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that when developing exercise-based interventions, the inclusion of strategic planning may enhance the prediction of children's PA behaviors. By understanding the importance of planning, interventionists and program planners can include tools to increase planning among children, and ultimately increasing children's PA behaviors.

Learning Areas:
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the presentation, at least 85% of the participants will be able to define and apply the construct of strategic planning, specifically action and coping planning, in predicting children’s physical activity behaviors.

Keywords: Children and Adolescents, Physical Activity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was the principle investigator on this research project as it was completed as part of the dissertation requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Public Health. Throughout this research project and others in which I was the primary investigator, I have researched childhood obesity and physical activity, as this is my cognate area. I have been extensively researching and studying this content area for over five years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3196.1: Promoting Physical Activity in Youth: Intervention Programming, Policy, and Surveillance