Am J Health Promot. 2024 Jun 8:8901171241257309. doi: 10.1177/08901171241257309. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To explore whether school poverty level and funding modified the effectiveness of an evidence-based Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program called Health Empowers You! implemented in elementary schools in Georgia.
DESIGN: Secondary data analysis of a multi-level, cluster-randomized controlled trial.
SETTING: 40 elementary schools in Georgia in 2018-2019.
SUBJECTS: 4th grade students in Georgia.
MEASURES: Intervention schools implemented the Health Empowers You! program to increase school-day physical activity. The outcome was average daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, school free-reduced price lunch (FRPL) percentage and per pupil expenditures were effect modifiers.
ANALYSIS: Separate linear mixed regression models estimated the effect of the intervention on average daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, with interaction terms between intervention status and (1) school FRPL percentage or (2) per pupil expenditures.
RESULTS: The effect of the intervention was significantly higher in schools with higher FRPL percentage (intervention*school % FRPL β (95% CI): .06 (.01, .12)), and was modestly, but not statistically significantly, higher in schools with lower per pupil expenditures.
CONCLUSION: Findings support the use of the Health Empowers You! intervention, which was effective in lower income schools, and may potentially reduce disparities in students’ physical activity levels.
PMID:38850049 | DOI:10.1177/08901171241257309
