Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6383-7244
N/A
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0063-6992
N/A
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2005
College/Unit
College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences
Department/Program/Center
Sport and Exercise Psychology
Abstract
Background
West Virginia, the second most rural state in the nation, has a higher than average prevalence of chronic diseases, especially those related to physical inactivity and obesity. Innovative educational approaches are needed to increase physical activity among adults and youth in rural areas and reduce rural health disparities. This paper describes West Virginia's Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) Education and Outreach on Healthy Weight and Physical Activity. The project involved teachers and underserved high school students in social science research aimed at increasing physical activity among student and community participants.
Context
The HSTA is an ongoing initiative of university–school–community partnerships in West Virginia that offers academic enrichment to high-school students in after-school clubs. For this project, six HSTA clubs were awarded grants to conduct research on physical activity promotion during the 2003–2004 school year. The project was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Methods
Focus groups, workshops, and targeted technical assistance were used to assist teachers and students with developing, implementing, and evaluating their research projects. Each club completed one project, and students reported on their research at the annual HSTA symposium held in the spring. Teachers documented their experience with the projects in process journals before and during implementation.
Consequences
Data from the teachers' process journals revealed that they believed this research experience increased their students' interest in health and health science careers and increased their students' understanding of social science research methods. Challenges included lack of time after school to complete all activities, competing student activities, limited social science research experience of both teachers and students, and delays that resulted from a lengthy human subjects approval process.
Interpretation
The entire process was too ambitious to be achieved in one school year. Recommendations for future implementation include offering training modules on social science research methods for both teachers and students. These modules could be offered as a graduate course for teachers and as an in-school elective within the curriculum or as a summer institute for students. This preparatory training might alleviate some of the time management issues experienced by all the projects and could result in more skilled teacher and student researchers.
Digital Commons Citation
Tompkins, Nancy O’Hara; Rye, James A.; Zizzi, Sam; and Vitullo, Elizabeth, "Engaging Rural Youth in Physical Activity Promotion Research in an After-School Setting" (2005). Faculty & Staff Scholarship. 2931.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/faculty_publications/2931
Source Citation
Tompkins NO, Rye JA,Zizzi S, Vitullo E. Engaging rural youth in physical activi-ty promotion research in an after-school setting. PrevChronic Dis 2005 Nov. http://www.cdc.gov/pdc/issues/2005/nov/