title: Peer 2 peer: efficacy of a course-based peer education intervention to increase physical activity among college students.
abstract: There are few physical activity (PA) interventions in higher education, and they have been only minimally effective.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine if a course-based, peer education intervention was associated with increases in PA and physical fitness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 178 students enrolled in a personal health class during the 2007-2008 academic year.
  
  
  METHODS
  A quasi-experimental design was used to assess the effect of the intervention. Repeated measures analysis of covariance was employed to test the impact of the intervention on students' PA, body composition, waist-to-hip ratio, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and muscular strength.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women in the treatment group classified as "Inactive" at baseline increased PA, whereas "Inactive" control women had reductions in PA. Women in the treatment group who were "Active" at baseline reduced their waist-to-hip ratio and increased flexibility. There were no differences by treatment group among men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intervention was effective in improving PA and physical fitness among college women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, The College at Brockport, State University of New York, Brockport, NY 14420-2976, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: Craig O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Mattern
authors.forename: Jill W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lassiter
authors.forename: Julia A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ritzler
mesh_terms: D001823:Body Composition; D003479:Curriculum; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004522:Educational Status; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D010379:Peer Group; D010809:Physical Fitness; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012737:Sex Factors; D040241:Social Marketing; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult