Program Evaluation of Environmental and Policy Approaches to Physical Activity Promotion in a Lower Income Latinx School District in Southeast Los Angeles

Escaron, Anne L.; Martinez, Corina; Lara, Monica; Vega-Herrera, Celia; Rios, Denise; Lara, Marielena; Hochman, Michael

doi:10.3390/ijerph17228405

Open AccessArticle

Program Evaluation of Environmental and Policy Approaches to Physical Activity Promotion in a Lower Income Latinx School District in Southeast Los Angeles

by

Anne L. Escaron

^1,*

,

Corina Martinez

²,

Monica Lara

²,

Celia Vega-Herrera

¹,

Denise Rios

¹,

Marielena Lara

³ and

Michael Hochman

⁴

¹

AltaMed Institute for Health Equity, AltaMed Health Services Corporation, Los Angeles, CA 90040, USA

²

Health Education and Wellness Department, AltaMed Health Services Corporation, Los Angeles, CA 90040, USA

³

RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138, USA

⁴

University of Southern California (USC) Gehr Family Center for Health Systems Science & Innovation, Keck Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(22), 8405; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228405

Submission received: 29 September 2020 / Revised: 30 October 2020 / Accepted: 9 November 2020 / Published: 13 November 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Supports and Physical Activity among Youth)

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Abstract

There is alarming population wide prevalence of low adolescent physical activity as this represents a risk factor for later chronic disease development. There is evidence to suggest that schools with strong wellness policies have students that are more frequently active. We designed an intervention to enhance students’ physical activity levels in five majority Latinx, underserved school districts. Evaluation consisted of assessment of written quality of school-district wellness policies; observation of student’s physical activity during leisure times; and after-school program practices and policies. We examined one of these district’s results more closely, the only participating district with a community coalition, and extracted lessons learned. On the physical activity section of the wellness policy, this district covered a moderate extent of recommended content areas using weak language. Compared to previous reports, we identified low vigorous activity levels for girls and boys at baseline (respectively, 12% and 18%). Finally, we identified that of four after school program sites assessed at baseline, no program reported the recommended 50% or more of program time dedicated to physical activity. Based on these evaluation findings, additional strategies are urgently needed to encourage all students and particularly more girls to be physically active throughout the school day.

Keywords: students; boys; girls; leisure-time physical activity; wellness policy; moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA); policy; systems; environmental strategies

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MDPI and ACS Style

Escaron, A.L.; Martinez, C.; Lara, M.; Vega-Herrera, C.; Rios, D.; Lara, M.; Hochman, M. Program Evaluation of Environmental and Policy Approaches to Physical Activity Promotion in a Lower Income Latinx School District in Southeast Los Angeles. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 8405. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228405

AMA Style

Escaron AL, Martinez C, Lara M, Vega-Herrera C, Rios D, Lara M, Hochman M. Program Evaluation of Environmental and Policy Approaches to Physical Activity Promotion in a Lower Income Latinx School District in Southeast Los Angeles. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(22):8405. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228405

Chicago/Turabian Style

Escaron, Anne L., Corina Martinez, Monica Lara, Celia Vega-Herrera, Denise Rios, Marielena Lara, and Michael Hochman. 2020. "Program Evaluation of Environmental and Policy Approaches to Physical Activity Promotion in a Lower Income Latinx School District in Southeast Los Angeles" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 22: 8405. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228405

APA Style

Escaron, A. L., Martinez, C., Lara, M., Vega-Herrera, C., Rios, D., Lara, M., & Hochman, M. (2020). Program Evaluation of Environmental and Policy Approaches to Physical Activity Promotion in a Lower Income Latinx School District in Southeast Los Angeles. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), 8405. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228405

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Program Evaluation of Environmental and Policy Approaches to Physical Activity Promotion in a Lower Income Latinx School District in Southeast Los Angeles

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