A Conceptual Evaluation of a School-based Utilitarian Exercise Model

Less than 50% of youth in the United States are sufficiently active for health benefits, females are less active than males, and activity participation declines with age during adolescence. Engagement in physical activity needs to be encouraged because inactivity is associated with overweight, cardiovascular disorders, and psychological disorders. Interventions that target youth are necessary to promote healthier behavior choices. One such program is a school-based utilitarian exercise program, BikeTexas Safe Routes to School. This conceptually-based, experimentally-controlled evaluation determined the impact of BikeTexas Safe Routes to School. The proximal educational outcomes, based on Social Cognitive Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior, were safe bicycle use knowledge, motivation/intent to bicycle and walk, and perceived bicycle and physical activity self-efficacy, defined as confidence to overcome barriers related to bicycling and physical activity. The distal behavioral outcomes were level of bicycling and walking to school and recreational bicycling. It was found that experimental students displayed significantly greater knowledge, a trend toward greater motivation, and greater recreational bicycling at follow-up compared to waitlist students. Students in both conditions displayed significant increases in bicycle self-efficacy. Motivation served as a partial mediator between the intervention and recreational bicycling. On a contextual level, based on the Social Ecology Model, two predicted moderators were perceived environment, including the built environment such as sidewalks, equipment accessibility, and parental support. On an individual level, an expected moderator was current weight. This evaluation also explored health behaviors and sutdents' sex. When these moderators were included in the model, perceived environment and students' sex served the clearest roles, independent of condition. For example, students in a more activity-conducive environment displayed greater physical activity self-efficacy and reccreational bicycling compared to students in less conducive environments. Furthermore, males displayed greater motivation and bicycling to school than females. Qualitative data collected from parents emphasized the importance of proximity and safety in determining whether to allow active commuting. These findings underscore the need to consider recreational activity as well as active commuting as goals in a youth based physical activity project, the need to focus on an activity conducive environment or modify the environment, and the need to include family in the intervention.