Georgia Shape: Getting Georgia's students moving through the Power Up for 30 statewide physical activity intervention

Introduction: Georgia Shape is the Governor’s statewide, multi-agency initiative bringing together governmental, philanthropic, academic, and business communities to address childhood (0-18) obesity. Over ten years, Georgia Shape will work to increase the number of students in the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) for Body Mass Index (BMI) by ten percent. Georgia’s physical activity (PA) intervention, Power Up for 30 (PU30), aims to achieve this goal through increasing PA before, during, and after school. Methods: PU30 is a voluntary program encouraging educators to integrate an additional 30 minutes of PA into the school day. A one-day training session provides technical assistance, resources, and ideas for incorporating additional PA with additional opportunities for continuing education. Training guides the analysis of school-specific data to inform action plans scripted by a team of educators from each school during a session. PU30 aligns with the CDC’s Comprehensive School PA Program, and the training provides schools with autonomy to create personalized approaches for meeting goals. Results: PU30 has reached more than 230k students, recruited over 500 schools, and has surpassed a 70% PA survey response rate from school administrators. After a one year pilot program in 39 schools, 63.7% of students improved their aerobic capacity (AC) and 57.2% improved BMI measures. Discussion: As an evidence-based statewide PA program, PU30 is facilitating improvements in student AC and BMI. Research shows a strong positive relationship between PA and academic achievement. Incorporating 30 minutes of PA into the daily routine can make students more alert and ready to learn.