Get Up and Go: Factors Determining Game On Grant Recipients Success in Increasing Students' Physical Activity

Abstract

This culminating experience focuses on school-based interventions to fight childhood obesity, seeking to identify what characteristics are shared amongst successful interventions versus unsuccessful interventions. The incorporated research is conducted on data provided by Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) about their Game On (GO) grants. AFHK is a national nonprofit organization that strives to improve the health of children across the country with school-based physical activity and nutrition initiatives. One of the organizations main programs is their GO grants, which they give to schools, so they can implement successful school health programs. The five steps of a GO program are to assemble a school health team, conduct a school health index, create and implement a wellness plan, select school specific activities, and engage families and communities. Some of the many suggestions for activities include before school programming, healthy food taste testing, salad bars, and walk/bike to school initiatives. The goal of this data analysis is to provide recommendations to both AFHK and to schools, so as to increase the success of future school-based childhood obesity initiatives. Using a statistical analysis and thematic coding, this paper highlights the most successful solutions for physical activity initiatives in schools are implementing before school activities, walk/bike programs, and gymnasium and play space refurbishment.

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