Adolescent girls, particularly African American girls, are at increased risk of adopting a sedentary lifestyle, increasing their likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases. There have been few school-based physical activity interventions for adolescents, even though this is a time in which their physical activity levels dramatically decline. Long-term follow-up of intervention effectiveness is virtually non-existent. The proposed project is a randomized, controlled trial of a life skills-oriented, comprehensive aerobic physical activity intervention (CAP) conducted during physical education (PE) class versus standard PE to increase physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in predominantly African American adolescent girls. Long-term follow-up of intervention effectiveness over 2 1/2 years will be assessed. The intervention will be conducted over two semesters and will incorporate behavioral skills training, including strong generalization and relapse prevention training components, into a PE class that focuses on aerobic exercise. A unique feature of the intervention is a family support component operationalized by a parent support training session and mail-delivered support tips and reminders to family members. Follow-up measures will be assessed through 11th grade (over 2 1/2 years) to determine long- term effectiveness of the interventions on physical activity level, cardiorespiratory fitness, and other selected cardiovascular risk factors. Ninth grade girls (3 cohorts in 3 successive years; n=300) attending an all-girls public high school in Baltimore, MD will be randomly assigned to the CAP or to standard PE. Physical activity level will be determined by the 7-day physical activity recall and by objective heart rate/motion sensor monitoring in a 50 percent random subsample. Cardiorespiratory fitness will be estimated from a submaximal step test. Selected cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, body composition, lipids) will also be determined. Follow-up will be assessed at 5, 11, 14, and 30 months post-randomization, providing long-term assessment of physical activity level and cardiorespiratory fitness compared with standard PE. This project will determine the ability of comprehensive interventions delivered in a school setting to reduce the rate of decline in physical activity typically observed in adolescent girls.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL063861-04
Application #
6499028
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-RPHB-2 (01))
Program Officer
Pratt, Charlotte
Project Start
2000-02-05
Project End
2005-01-31
Budget Start
2003-02-01
Budget End
2004-01-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$269,599
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Maryland College Park
Department
Miscellaneous
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
790934285
City
College Park
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
20742
Camhi, Sarah M; Phillips, Jennie; Young, Deborah R (2011) The influence of body mass index on long-term fitness from physical education in adolescent girls. J Sch Health 81:409-16
Phillips, Jennie A; Young, Deborah Rohm (2009) Past-year sports participation, current physical activity, and fitness in urban adolescent girls. J Phys Act Health 6:105-11
Camhi, Sarah M; Kuo, JoAnn; Young, Deborah R (2008) Identifying adolescent metabolic syndrome using body mass index and waist circumference. Prev Chronic Dis 5:A115
Kuo, JoAnn; Voorhees, Carolyn C; Haythornthwaite, Jennifer A et al. (2007) Associations between family support, family intimacy, and neighborhood violence and physical activity in urban adolescent girls. Am J Public Health 97:101-3
Young, Deborah Rohm; Phillips, Jennie A; Yu, Tao et al. (2006) Effects of a life skills intervention for increasing physical activity in adolescent girls. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 160:1255-61