Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2010

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences

Department

Physical Education Teacher Education

Committee Chair

Sean M. Bulger.

Abstract

The prevalence of overweight and obese youth in the nation is growing at an alarming pace (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008; West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, 2007). Currently, 3.8% of elementary schools, 7.9% of middle schools, and 2.1% of high schools provide daily physical education (Jones, Axelrad, & Wattigney, 2007). That means that a majority of America's youth are not provided with the opportunity to accumulate the recommended daily amounts of physical activity. With formal physical education in mind schools should be focusing on increasing youth out-of-school physical activity. Teacher assigned, out-of-school, physical activity, self-management programs serve to provide the nation's youth with the best opportunity for increasing physical activity, without taking away from the existing in-school curriculum. The Activity Challenge (AC) is a physical activity program, modeled after the Summer Shape-Up Challenge, designed to increase youth physical activity during the summer and after school (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2005). To evaluate the effectiveness of the AC the researcher used a single-case combined ABABC reversal design and an ABC delayed multiple baseline design. The dependent variable was daily step count as measured by the New Lifestyles 800 brand of the Yamax Digiwalker pedometer. Steps counts indicated that the AC was not effective at increasing or maintaining participant out-of-school physical activity.

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