Physical activity during the transition from elementary school to middle school

描述（由申请人提供）：在儿童期和青春期，身体活动随着年龄的增长而减少，美国有很大比例的青少年没有达到目前的身体活动指南。从小学到中学的过渡阶段是年轻人一生中一个关键的发展阶段，在这一时期，许多孩子的体育活动水平急剧下降。许多先前的研究已经调查了儿童和青少年体育活动行为的相关性。然而，之前没有研究前瞻性和全面地研究了年轻人身体活动行为随时间变化的机制。同样，也没有人使用体育活动的客观测量和多层次分析方法。因此，本研究的目的是研究个人、家庭/家庭、邻里、学校和社区因素对非裔美国人和白人男孩和女孩从小学到中学过渡期间体育活动变化的直接和间接影响。性别、种族、社会经济地位和社区环境对影响体育活动变化的因素的潜在调节作用也将被研究。这项研究将涉及750名五年级学生和他们的父母，他们将参加五年级、六年级和七年级的测量协议。测量将包括通过加速计和自我报告测量的身体活动，以及在三个层面（儿童/家庭/家庭/街道，小学/社区和中学/社区）测量的广泛的自变量。儿童和家长将在年度家访期间提供数据，在此期间将完成问卷调查并进行人体测量。学校数据将通过与学校人员的访谈获得，有关物理环境因素的信息将通过对街道段的挡风玻璃调查、应用详细的地理信息系统数据库、对体育活动场所的审计和自我报告的环境感知来测量。多层次结构方程建模程序将用于确定与三个年级的身体活动变化直接或间接相关的因素。这项研究将通过显著扩大我们对影响青少年体育活动行为发展因素的认识来解决一个关键的公共卫生挑战。需要这方面的知识，以便为未来旨在增加体育活动和预防儿童和青少年肥胖的公共卫生干预提供信息。公共健康相关性：美国年轻人的肥胖率急剧上升，而体育活动的减少可能是导致这一惊人趋势的原因。在从小学到中学的过渡阶段，许多儿童的体育活动水平急剧下降，而导致这种变化的因素尚不清楚。这项研究将运用复杂的数据收集和数据分析技术来确定导致儿童进入青春期后身体活动水平下降的关键因素。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Physical activity declines with increasing age through childhood and adolescence, and a large percentage of adolescents in the U.S. do not meet current physical activity guidelines. The transition from elementary school to middle school is a critical developmental stage in the lives of young people, and it is a period during which physical activity levels decline dramatically in many children. Many previous studies have examined the correlates of physical activity behavior in children and adolescents. However, no previous studies have prospectively and comprehensively studied the mechanisms that underlie change in physical activity behavior over time in young people. Likewise, none have used an objective measure of physical activity and multi-level analytic methods. Therefore, the aims of the proposed study are to examine the direct and indirect influences of personal, home/family, neighborhood, school and community factors on changes in physical activity in African American and white boys and girls as they transition from elementary school to middle school. The potential moderating effects of gender, race, socioeconomic status, and neighborhood environment on factors influencing changes in physical activity also will be examined. The study will involve 750 5th grade students and their parents, who will participate in a measurement protocol at 5th, 6th and 7th grades. Measures will include physical activity measured by accelerometry and self-report and a wide range of independent variables measured at three levels -- child/family/home/street, elementary school/neighborhood, and middle school/community. Data will be provided by children and parents during annual home visits during which questionnaires will be completed and anthropometric measures will be administered. School data will be acquired through interviews with school personnel, and information on physical environmental factors will be measured by windshield surveys of street segments, application of a detailed Geographic Information Systems database, audits of physical activity places, and self-reported perceptions of the environment. Multi-level structural equation modeling procedures will be used to identify factors that are directly or indirectly associated with change in physical activity across the three grade levels. This study will address a critical public health challenge by markedly expanding our knowledge of the factors that influence development of physical activity behavior in youth. This knowledge is needed to inform future public health interventions aimed at increasing physical activity and preventing obesity in children and adolescents. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Obesity rates have skyrocketed in American youth, and declining physical activity is a likely cause of this alarming trend. Physical activity levels decrease dramatically in many children during the transition from elementary to middle school, and the factors that underlie that change are not well understood. This study will apply sophisticated data collection and data analysis techniques in identifying the key factors that cause physical activity levels to decrease as children transition into adolescence.