John Kinyua

 FORWARD JUMP EXPERIMENT NAME INSTITUTION It has been observed in previous studies that the low socioeconomic and underserved adolescents are attributed to low physical activities than their higher SES and nonminority counterparts. In an experiment carried out by Taylor and Sallis, it was reported that a surgeon’s guidance of physical activities (PA) is only met by approximately 50 of the youths. School literature indicates modest effects of increasing PA on the involved individuals. A school-based socio-cognitive theory was evaluated by the Planet Health Project relating to increasing in moderate to vigorous PA. Results showed no significant PA change as a result of the intervention. However, there was a prediction of obesity prevalence as a result of TV viewing. Another experiment conducted by the Minnesota Heart Health Program aimed at increasing PA outside the classroom activities. It was expected that girls would display an increased PA than the boys after seven years. Recent views show that school-based interventions are more likely to have an impact on an increase in PA in physical activities outside the normal class activities. This study was aimed at examining the effects of an innovative student-centred program on motivational, psychological factors, an increase of PA, self-efficiency and self-concept for PA Methods Participants With the use of a quasi-experimental design, students who had enrolled for grade 6 in the rural southeastern community were recruited with the assistance of school staff. There were participants from two schools where 28 participants volunteered to enrol for the PA programs that were provided by the schools. The students were matched by gender, as well as percentage of a lunch whose which has either a reduced price or free. n=20 comparison group was selected to with an aim of determining PA levels for adult who were never part of the said program (Wilson et al., p293). Procedure Background, as well as demographic info, was provided by the participants. The weights and the heights of these participants were obtained by a highly skilled assistant. A 4 weeks program was set for the students in the intervention and the comparison schools. The student-centred intervention aimed to increase the rate of MVPA to sixty minutes a day according to the directions of the standards of PA on adolescents. Ownership of development of the program was taken by the adolescents in the school-based program where they chose a variety of PA which seemed fun to them, and that can cause a positive surviving approaches intended to impose positivity on PA social vicissitudes (Wilson et al., p293). The comparison school had its participants receiving a four weeks program aimed at equipping them with general health knowledge but did not make emphasis on PA. At baseline and during the week 4 of the program, measures were acquired. After school on Thursdays, Tuesdays and Mondays, the intervention program was implemented for 2 hours. An oversight for the program was provided by three trained staff trained in physical activity as well as the process of injury prevention which provides the element of the PA program. The program was characterized by three basic components which included: a 30 minutes homework component snack, a 60 minutes activity of the activities that were selected by the students (Wilson et al., p293). The activities were of moderate to vigorous intensity. The third component was a 30 minutes motivational and SCT component where the trained graduates were involved in the activity of teaching the participants the skills and motivational strategies that they can use to increase their PA at home as well as with their friends (Chonzo et al., p1510). Consistent with SCT and SDT, the component emphasized on the increase behavioural skills and intrinsic motivation For PA. Goal setting, self-monitoring and strategies to be involved in PA with friends and families were some of the strategies employed in the teaching of specific SCT behavioural skills. Two elements were contained in the student-centred program. They included: making PA a lifestyle among the students and an interview which was videotaped compelling the students to be participants in a variety of activities provided every week as well as growing ideas that can develop PA among friends and peers (Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald and Aherne, p941). The selected activities included athletics and games such as football, basketball among others. Some important elements were identified and integrated into the PA student’s checklist and used as a mode of characterization for the students in the program. There was a recording of the attendance with the checklist being completed every week of the study period, a task that was carried out by an independent evaluator. Assessment of the stated objectives was done on time spent on moderated and vigorous PA. Activity monitors were used for measuring the behaviour of PA from Monday to Friday where the monitors attached on some adjustable belt were worn on the right hips. The activities collected were then stored in a computer compatible with IBM. Activity counts of every minute were then uploaded in data system as well as time expended in MPA. Psychosocial Variables Such variables included: motivation for PA, Self-concept for PA and PA self-efficiency as well as enjoyment for PA. Questionnaires were used in the assessment of the PA motivation. The questionnaires were made up of 10 items. Similar ten items questionnaires were used in the evaluation and assessment of self-concept for PA and self-efficiency for PA. They were meant to show whether the motivation displayed on PA has had reliable and adequate impact on the subjects and also the confidence reported by the participants, relapse prevention as well as behavioral skills rated on the scale. The validity and reliability of the skill were demonstrated on minority adolescents. Enjoyment of the scale involved a series of activities that the participants were involved in every week. Enjoyment for PA scale was calibrated such that it ranged from 1-7 where the extremely high score showed extreme enjoyment. Validation of the scale was done on a population of adolescents (Wilson et al., p293). Results The baseline and demographic characteristics obtainable in table 1 does not indicate any cluster difference through the baseline measures. The scales used had a reliability coefficient of 89 for self-efficiency of PA, 90 for the scale of PA motivation, the self-concept scale had a reliability of 90, and the range of enjoyment on the enjoyment scale was between 87-94. 64% of the 28 students who enrolled in the program were boys, and the rest were girls (Wilson et al., p293). Four students dropped from the program with a 79% of the 84% of the total number of students who were retained missing only one or none of the PA activities conducted (Wilson et al., p293). 17% which was made up of only four students did not participate in the PA activities for 2 or 3 days, and only one student is missing for more than three days. Evaluation checklist showed that all the critical elements that were established were followed in the program. The accelerometer outcomes were presented in Table 2 which showed comparison versus intervention participants. A repeated measure analysis showed a significant measure of MVPA Time*school, MPA and MPA and VPA where the value of VPA is less than 0.02 (Wilson et al., p293). The study indicated a rise in the duration of time in comparison with the control group. More analysis was done to compare the no program days with the accelerometer estimates of the program. According to PA levels for MPA it was found out that there were no significant differences. Theoretical psychological variables for the participants are shown in Table 3. For participants of self-centred in comparison with the control group. A repeated measure analysis insicates PA time interaction self-concept as well as motivation *school. Discussion The study was aimed at examining the consequences of the program that was student innovated on motivational, psychological factors, an increase of PA, self-efficiency as well as PA self-concept. There was a evaluation of the program and non-program participants. It was found out that VPA was greater on the program than non-program days. (Gavarry et al., p525). Partial support is provided by the study where adults are allowed to in developing their preferences on the kind of PA activities they would want to be engaged in. This aspect made the whole difference with the self-managed program since, in student-centred, the participants could make choices of what they wanted to participate in, promote the program to friends and design a name and motto for the program. Moderate and vigorous increase in PA were said to increase in the intervention and not in comparison students. These results aligned with the results obtained from the other similar experiments that indicated that increase in choices could lead to a rise in the participation in PA programs among adults. The comparison group did not indicate an increase in PA thus showing a trend of decrease in PA activities. The study results from this experiment and other similar experiments indicate that self-initiated behaviours and perceived choices are important in increasing intrinsic PA motivation (Wilson et al., p293). The intervention, therefore, had a successful influence on the theoretic based psychosomatic procedures for snowballing PA. This experiment was also consistent with the previous studies made in the same area that was used in the process of evaluation of motivational inspirations on well-being and fitness behaviours of adults. It is also consistent with the work of Weiss and Ferrer-Caja which was aimed at examining the relationship among efforts, intrinsic motivation as well as tenacity in PA for students in high school. Findings indicate that an increase in intrinsic motivation leads to greater changes in behaviour in both young and adults population (Crocker, Eklund, and Kowalski, p383). There is an essence of doing more research to help underastand the effects that such interventions could have on the psychological factor. Other studies indicate that self-efficacy is also essential in determining PA factor (Wilson et al, p293) A few limitation surround this study. They include the quasi-nature of the experiment where only a small number of participants was evaluated. Also, the experiment had several components thus determining the component that was most effective is not easy. Therefore, more research is needed in determining the efficacy of a similar program on a large number of participants in increasing their PA. Conclusion To determine the factors that are relevant for increased PA, a student-centred program experiment that involved students participating in a PA program and another control factor of students who were only taught about health and fitness and did not participate in PA activities was carried out. It was observed that increased in inspiration and enjoyment of physical activities among others are factors that lead to increased PA behaviour among adults. However, the experiment carried out was quasi and also there were some components which made it difficult to determine the component that had much effect on the PA factor. References Chodzko-Zajko, W.J., Proctor, D.N., Singh, M.A.F., Minson, C.T., Nigg, C.R., Salem, G.J. and Skinner, J.S., 2009. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Medicine & science in sports & exercise, 41(7), pp-. Crocker, P.R., Eklund, R.C. and Kowalski, K.C., 2000. Children's physical activity and physical self-perceptions. Journal of sports sciences, 18(6), pp.383-394. Fitzgerald, A., Fitzgerald, N. and Aherne, C., 2012. Do peers matter? A review of peer and friends’ influence on physical activity among American adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 35(4), pp.941-958 Gavarry, O., Giacomoni, M.A.G.A.L.I., Bernard, T., Seymat, M. and Falgairette, G.U.Y., 2003. Habitual physical activity in children and adolescents during school and free days. Medicine and Science in sports and exercise, 35(3), pp.525-531. Wilson, D.K., Williams, J., Evans, A., Mixon, G. and Rheaume, C., 2005. Brief report: a qualitative study of gender preferences and motivational factors for physical activity in underserved adolescents. Journal of pediatric psychology, 30(3), pp.293-297. .