The Effects of a School-Based Intervention on the Physical Activity Behaviors of Latino High School Students

Pena, Eva, The Effects of a School-Based Intervention on the Physical Activity Behaviors of Latino High School Students. Master of Public Health (Community Health), May 2004, 66 pp., 5 tables, 2 illustrations, 6 titles. The study was to determine if a culturally appropriate school-based intervention increases self-reported levels of physical activity (PA) in 9th grade Latinos. A culturally appropriate intervention could help Latino youth adopt and maintain PA. Students from two primarily Latino schools served as subjects. Experimental students received a modified form of Salud Para Su Corazon, a Latino community-based cardiovascular health initiative. Questions from CDC’s YRBSS were used to measure PA changes. A 3-way mixed model ANOVA was used investigate the effect of pre-post, treatment, and gender on self-reported days of participation in moderate (M) and vigorous (V) PA. Students reported increased M and V PA at the post-test compared to the pre-test. The experimental students tended to report greater increases in V PA following intervention compared to controls. Males reported higher levels of V PA than females. Results suggest some potential effect on student PA behaviors as a result of the intervention.