Physical activity during the transition from elementary school to middle school

描述（由申请人提供）：身体活动随着年龄的增长而下降，通过儿童和青少年，在美国有很大比例的青少年不符合当前的身体活动指南。从小学到中学的过渡是年轻人生活中的一个关键发展阶段，在此期间，许多儿童的身体活动水平急剧下降。许多先前的研究已经检查了儿童和青少年身体活动行为的相关性。然而，以前的研究还没有前瞻性地全面研究年轻人身体活动行为随时间变化的机制。同样，没有人使用身体活动的客观衡量标准和多层次分析方法。因此，拟议研究的目的是检查个人、家庭、邻里、学校和社区因素对非裔美国人和白色男孩和女孩从小学过渡到中学时身体活动变化的直接和间接影响。性别、种族、社会经济地位和邻里环境对影响身体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。措施将包括通过加速度计和自我报告测量的身体活动，以及在三个层面上测量的各种自变量-儿童/家庭/家庭/街道，小学/社区和中学/社区。数据将由儿童和家长在年度家访期间提供，在此期间将填写问卷并进行人体测量。学校数据将通过与学校工作人员的访谈获得，关于物理环境因素的信息将通过对街道段的挡风玻璃调查、详细的地理信息系统数据库的应用、体育活动场所的审计以及自我报告的环境感知来衡量。多层次结构方程建模程序将被用来确定直接或间接与三个年级的身体活动变化相关的因素。这项研究将通过显着扩大我们对影响青年体育活动行为发展的因素的了解来解决一个关键的公共卫生挑战。需要这些知识为未来的公共卫生干预措施提供信息，以增加儿童和青少年的身体活动并预防肥胖。公共卫生相关性：美国年轻人的肥胖率飙升，而体力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期间，许多儿童的身体活动水平急剧下降，而导致这种变化的因素还没有得到很好的理解。这项研究将采用先进的数据收集和数据分析技术，以确定导致身体活动水平下降的关键因素，因为儿童过渡到青春期。

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.