Senate Bill 42: implementation and impact on physical activity in middle schools.
OBJECTIVE
In 2005, the Texas State Legislature passed Senate Bill 42 (SB42), which required public middle school students (grades 6-8) to participate in 30 minutes of daily structured physical activity. The purpose of this study was to assess awareness of and adherence to SB42 in Texas middle schools, and to assess the impact of SB42 on the frequency and quality of structured physical activity.


METHODS
Key informant (school principals, physical education [PE] instructors, nurses, or designated personnel) telephone interviews on the implementation of SB42 were conducted from a statewide representative sample of public middle schools (n=112). Direct observation, key informant, and student report of physical activity in PE classes at 17 Texas-Mexico border middle schools assessed the frequency and quality of structured physical activity.


RESULTS
State level (94% +/- 4.5%) and border district (94% +/- 13.5%) key informants reported a high level of overall awareness of SB42. Postimplementation of SB42 border districts reported a minimum of 4 days per week of PE instruction and more than 58 minutes per PE class, exceeding the 30-minute minimum of structured physical activity per day or 135 minutes per week as required by SB42 (range: 58.2-61.4 minutes). A significant increase in the number of days of PE class was observed in the border sample between 2004 and 2005 and 2006 and 2008, with eighth grade students reporting an average of 2.0 days and 3.7 days of PE per week, respectively (p < .001). Additionally, border districts met the Healthy People 2010 objective of 50% time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (mean 54.9% +/- 5.1%) during PE class.


CONCLUSIONS
Implementation of SB42 appears to have impacted the frequency of school PE in Texas and the prevalence of child self-reported physical activity behaviors along the Texas-Mexico border. General awareness of and adherence to SB42 was high in both statewide and among the border districts. Our mixed findings on adherence to specific components of the legislation suggest the need for further investigation of the factors that both facilitate and inhibit local leadership around school policy and the mechanisms to ensure the school policy is being implemented.
Barroso
Cristina S
CS
Hispanic Health Research Center, Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, University of Texas School of Public Health, Brownsville Regional Campus, Brownsville, Texas 78520, USA. Cristina.S.Barroso@uth.tmc.edu
Kelder
Steven H
SH
Springer
Andrew E
AE
Smith
Carolyn L
CL
Ranjit
Nalini
N
Ledingham
Christopher
C
Hoelscher
Deanna M
DM
D000293:Adolescent; D001364:Awareness; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005178:Faculty; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006266:Health Education / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D017058:Mexican Americans; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012574:Schools / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States
Health Econ. 2007 Dec;16(12):1287-301
17328052
Pediatrics. 2008 Apr;121(4):e794-802
18381508
J Nutr Educ Behav. 2008 Sep-Oct;40(5):305-10
18725149
J Am Diet Assoc. 2003 Feb;103(2):186-94
12589324
JAMA. 2006 Apr 5;295(13):1549-55
16595758
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2004 Sep 17;53(36):844-7
15371967
J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Sep;108(9):1497-502
18755322
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2008 Dec 10;5:64
19077186
Am J Prev Med. 2007 Oct;33(4 Suppl):S277-91
17884576
Health Promot Int. 2008 Sep;23(3):290-7
18728110
J Nutr Educ Behav. 2007 Mar-Apr;39(2):95-100
17346658
Am J Public Health. 2004 Jun;94(6):1002-8
15249306
J Public Health Policy. 2009;30 Suppl 1:S221-47
19190576
J Public Health Policy. 2009;30 Suppl 1:S124-40
19190569
Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2007 Dec 5;56(6):1-103
18277471
J Am Diet Assoc. 2005 Jan;105(1):131-8
15635359
MMWR Surveill Summ. 2004 Jul 23;53(5):1-100
15269697
JAMA. 2002 Oct 9;288(14):1728-32
12365956
J Public Health Policy. 2009;30 Suppl 1:S141-60
19190570
Health Educ Behav. 2003 Aug;30(4):447-62
12929896
J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Nov;108(11):1916-20
18954584
JAMA. 2004 Jun 16;291(23):2847-50
15199035
Am J Prev Med. 2003 Apr;24(3):209-17
12657338
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005 Mar;159(3):217-24
15753263
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2006 Jan 13;55(1):5-8
16410760
Res Q Exerc Sport. 1995 Sep;66(3):184-93
7481079
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2001 Mar;7(2):90-100
12174404