Examining the Effectivenesses of the IMPACT Program COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES Examining the Effectivenesses of the IMPACT Program Chengcheng Jia, Jennifer Morgan, Jooyeon Jin, Dalhyn Moon, & Joonkoo Yun Introduction Physical Activity Regular physical activity participation has a variety of health benefits, such as improvements of cardiovascular and muscular fitness, improvements of bone health, and favorable body composition (Nelson et al., 2007; Penedo & Dahn, 2005; Soares-Miranda et al., 2011; USDHHS, 2010) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS] (2008) recommends that children and adolescents should accumulate 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) each day for their healthy lifestyles. There is considerable evidence demonstrating that youth with disabilities are not getting the recommended amount of MVPA (Frey, Stanish & Temple, 2008; Kim, 2008; Rosser-Sandt & Frey, 2005). Methods Participants 33 participants (17 male, 16 female) Mean age was 12.00 ranged from 8 to 17 years old. Results – cont. Types of Engagement – Time (%) for Engagement On-Task Waiting time Off-task time 46.57% 29.74% 11.51% Instruments Physical Activity Monitor ActiGraph accelerometer (GT3X) Physical Activity Engagement Systematic observation Momentary sampling using 6 sec. observe and 6 sec. record Measure three variables: On-task, Off-task, Waiting. Analysis Effectiveness of the IMPACT program Descriptive statistics Relationship between engagement and physical activity time Two Multiple regressions Dependent variable: total amount of physical activity and MVPA Independent variables: On-task time, Waiting time, and Off-task time IMPACT Program The Individualized Movement and Physical Activity for Children Today (IMPACT) program has been serving children with disabilities for over 29 years to promote physical activity of children with disabilities. Relationship between Physical Activity and Engagement The result of multiple regressions indicated that types of class engagement explain 45% of total physical activity time and there was significant relationship between physical activity and engagement, However, there is no significant relationship between MVPA and engagement. The program is committed to create and disseminate new knowledge to promote age appropriate physical activity for children with disabilities. Total PA MVPA R .45* .24 Adjusted R .38* .14 beta t On-Task .96 3.73** .77 2.53* Waiting -1.07 -4.15** -.77 Off-Task -.18 -1.06 -.02 -.11 Effectiveness One of recommended indicators assessing the effectiveness of a physical activity program is the amount of time spent in MVPA (Jang et al., 2009; McKenzie et al., 1996; McKenzie et al., 2003). Another indicator is participants’ engagement time in a physical activity program (Beauchamp & Morton, 2011; McKenzie et al., 1993; Verstraete et al, 2007). Results Levels of Physical Activity - Time (%) engaged in physical activity Sedentary Activity: 23.35%. Light Activity: 67.51%, and MVP: 9.14% By age Note. PA=physical activity, *p <.05 and **p <.01 Purpose The primary purpose of this project was examining the effectiveness of the IMPACT program based on the suggested indicators. The secondary purpose was examining the relationship between physical activity time and engagement time. Conclusion The results indicated that children engaged in appropriate behavior about 90% of time during the IMPACT. At the same time, children participated in light intensity of activity in a majority of time. In order to maximize health benefits, the group leaders need to plan higher intensity-based lessons during IMPACT. The result indicated that there is the relationship between the total amount of physical activity and engagement time, but no relation between MVPA and engagements. This suggests that only knowing MVPA level may not be sufficiently informative to show the effectiveness of the physical activity program.