A large body of evidence suggests physical activity is inversely associated with
several cardio-metabolic risk factors among children and adolescents. Despite these
health benefits, a majority of youth are not meeting the physical activity guidelines set
forth by the USDHHS. Schools have been identified as an ideal vehicle for interventions;
however, research evidence indicates school-based interventions are not effective at
increasing outside of school physical activity. Goal setting may be a potential effective
strategy for increasing physical activity among youth; however no previous studies have
examined the effects of goal setting on cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity in
middle school students. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of
a S.M.A.R.T. goal setting and self-monitoring intervention on fitness and physical activity
in middle school students.
Two middle schools in Tallahassee, FL participated in this study. One school
served as the intervention and the other served as a delayed intervention measurement
only control. The students in the intervention school completed a one-time S.M.A.R.T.
goal setting lesson. During the lesson, students were taught the definition of a goal, the
importance of goal setting, and how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. As part of the lesson,
students completed a S.M.A.R.T. goal setting worksheet. The objectives of the worksheet
activity were to teach students the concepts of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting and to apply this
knowledge by creating personal fitness goals. Student fitness goals were entered into an
interactive website that acted as a self-monitoring tool. Before and after the
intervention, participating students completed a survey assessing student
demographics, physical activity, and physical activity self-efficacy. Cardiorespiratory
fitness levels, assessed by the PACER test, were also measured pre and post. Betweengroup
differences in post-test scores, adjusted for baseline levels, were assessed for
statistical significance using ANCOVA. Additional covariates included gender,
race/ethnicity, grade level and weight status.
After adjustment for baseline levels, students in the intervention school
exhibited significantly higher PACER laps in comparison to the control school ((F[subscript (1,257)] = 58.0) p<0.0001)). The PACER scores in intervention school increased from 40.6 laps to
45.9 laps while the PACER scores in the comparison school decreased. There were no
significant between-group differences for physical activity or self-efficacy
Although these results require replication in larger studies using a group
randomized study design and objective measures of physical activity, the results suggest
that teaching students about S.M.A.R.T. goal setting may be a potentially effective
strategy for increasing fitness in middle school students and worthy of further
investigation / Graduation date: 2013
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/31582 |
| Date | 19 July 2012 |
| Creators | McDonald, Samantha M. |
| Contributors | Trost, Stewart |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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