California Children's Power Play! Campaign: Impact on student intake of fruits and vegetables and physical activity behavior

Background: Across California, fewer than 5% of elementary school-age children eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables and less than half get 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Interventions are critical since poor eating and inactivity contribute to obesity.

Purpose: To examine the extent to which participation in Power Play! improves fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity in 4th and 5th graders compared to students in control schools.

Methods: The study was conducted in 42 schools using a quasi-experimental intervention/control design. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were made on ~4000 students in fall 2011 and spring 2012. Students received training prior to completing a 24-hour diary-assisted recall interview to estimate fruits and vegetable consumed. A student survey assessed psychosocial factors that may mediate fruit and vegetable consumption or physical activity engagement: awareness, peer norms, adult modeling, intentions, preferences, and perceived barriers. Minutes spent in physical activity was measured using the validated Self-Administered Physical Activity Checklist. Multivariate linear regression models examined the impact of the intervention on outcomes, controlling for children's baseline measures and sociodemographic factors.

Findings: Results highlight comparisons between control and intervention groups on changes related to fruit and vegetable consumption and daily physical activity patterns. Descriptive findings will also be shared.

Significance: Given the statewide implementation of the Campaign, results have implications for guiding future implementation in California schools.

Conclusions: The Campaign promotes nutrition and physical activity education to 4th and 5th grade students in low-resource schools to empower them to adopt healthier lifestyles.