Social Mechanisms for Promoting Physical Activity in After School Programs for Underserved Middle School Youth: A Feasibility Trial

Physical inactivity has been identified as a primary contributor of childhood obesity and related diseases, with underserved youth (minority and low-income status) at greatest risk of inactivity and its health consequences. However, physical activity (PA) interventions have attained limited-to-no sustained behavior change and thus, have rarely affected targeted physiological or anthropometric health outcomes. Extensive research on participation motivation in sport and physical education shows highly engaged youth report an affiliation orientation towards PA, identifying social reasons and goals (e.g., being with, and making friends) as their primary motivations for participation, and defining PA competence as achieving these social goals. Despite substantial research noting the importance of social goals on PA-based self-determined motivation and participation, PA-based interventions have almost exclusively emphasized approaches centered on constructs related to physical ability (e.g., mastery, self-efficacy). To date, little research has focused on understanding the contributions that affiliation orientations (social goals) make toward promoting sustained youth PA. The investigators argue that adolescents' desire for social connections is a primary goal of action underpinning their PA behavior and thus, a key mechanism to target for sustained behavior change. The Active by Choice Today (ACT) program, conducted by the investigative team is one of the first after school programs (ASPs) to implement a climate-based intervention based on Self-Determination theory that showed significant improvements in PA in underserved youth. However, limited sustained effects found post-intervention, and data from interviews with ACT staff and youth which indicated the presence of several interpersonal barriers (e.g., cliques, teasing) to program effectiveness, suggests additional socially-based climate components still need to be addressed. Systematic observations of ASPs using an observational tool that the PI has developed and tested and additional interviews conducted with ASP staff and youth further suggests that targeting youth social goals (e.g., building friendships through PA) and social competencies (e.g., Friendship-building skills) may be particularly effective for increasing and sustaining the PA of underserved youth. Thus, the proposed study aims to test the feasibility of augmenting the Active by Choice Today (ACT) program through the addition of three key "PA affiliation orientation" elements shown by previous research to be particularly important to adolescents within physical domains: 1) Connecting strengthened friendships to increased PA (developing youth social skills and providing a PA environment that emphasizes friendship building as the goal of PA), 2) Improving peer connectedness and group belonging through PA participation, and 3) Improving interpersonal connections with ASP staff through PA participation. These elements have not been explored in prior research. Enhancing ACT to include these elements in the resultant ACT version 2-Connect intervention is expected to lead to sustained positive PA affect, cognitions, and behaviors in underserved youth. Comparison of ASPs receiving the "Connect" intervention (N=3 ASPs) with ASPs randomized to receive the general ASP curriculum (control condition; N=3 ASPs) will yield preliminary data on the effectiveness of social mediators for improving moderate-to-vigorous (MV)PA and preventing obesity among at-risk youth that can inform future intervention design and youth programming policy. Results of this proposed project will provide the basis for conducting a large scale efficacy trial.

Specific Objectives:

Apply essential social climate elements identified from interviews and the investigators' previous research to design and test the feasibility of the 8-week "Connect" social climate intervention for increasing PA affect, cognition, and MVPA of underserved youth within ASPs.

Primary Aims (Program Development and Feasibility):

1. Through qualitative interviews with program staff and youth at 4 ASP sites serving at-risk youth: a) identify conceptual constructs most relevant for facilitating and supporting youth PA social affiliation goals; b) determine the barriers present within ASPs for meeting youth PA social goals, and; c) obtain staff/youth input on the feasibility and acceptability of initially- developed program components.
2. Explore the feasibility of the Connect program. The Connect program will be documented to be feasible in these ASP programs as shown by: 1) youth's greater perceived connectedness and affiliation goal orientation toward PA from baseline to 12- weeks post-intervention; 2). changes in targeted social climate components from baseline to post-intervention as measured by systematic observations, and; 3) adequate dose and fidelity of program implementation as indicated by weekly process evaluations.