Factors influencing the performance of volunteers who provide physical activity in middle schools.
Increasing physical activity among youth represents a national health goal, and using volunteer activity providers at schools offers one possible solution. This paper describes results from a program to recruit volunteer physical activity providers in middle schools. Twenty-one volunteers provided 850 physical activity hours at seven schools, including 575 activity sessions and 7,186 student contacts. Volunteers who received incentives offered more minutes of activity, conducted more activity sessions, reached a greater number of students, and logged more student-minutes of physical activity than those who received none. Male volunteers provided more activity minutes than female volunteers, but females were marginally more successful in engaging female students. Results can help guide schools to more effectively increase student physical activity throughout the school day.
Strelow
Jamie S
JS
Dept. of Psychology, San Diego State University, 9245 Sky Park Court, Suite 224, San Diego, CA 92123, USA. jstrelow@mail.sdsu.edu
Larsen
Judith S
JS
Sallis
James F
JF
Conway
Terry L
TL
Powers
Holly S
HS
McKenzie
Thomas L
TL
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors; D014838:Volunteers / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D000078329:Workforce