 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Rhonda L. Bledsoe, MPH, CHES, Chudley E. Werch, PhD, Michele J. Moore, PhD, Dorothy Burgess, BA, and Emily Ford. Center for Drug Prevention Research, University of North Florida, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Road, South, Building 39/3042A, Jacksonville, FL 32224, 904-620-2847, bledsoe@uga.edu
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of a unique, innovative program designed to reduce alcohol and increase exercise habits of high school students. The program was implemented in Fall 2002 to 335 9th grade and 269 11th grade high school students. Participants were randomly assigned to either of two groups: 1) the intervention group received brief, one-on-one tailored feedback from a Fitness Specialist that discussed the incompatibility of alcohol use with an active lifestyle consisting of physical activity, rest, nutrition, and sport performance, along with a follow-up flyer on health and fitness tips, and 2) the control group received a commercial pamphlet about wellness, and a follow-up brochure on fitness tips for teens. Researchers collected detailed process evaluation data from both groups. The program was implemented as planned, based on Fitness Specialist feedback and taped evaluations of the consultations. Independent samples t-test results show significantly higher ratings (p’s < .05) for the intervention versus control materials on 11 of 12 of the process evaluation items that measure program quality. No significant differences were found between groups on the process evaluation for the follow-up materials, indicating that the materials developed by the researchers were comparable to the commercial materials. The presentation will discuss the intervention development, content, implementation, and process measures in further detail.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Evaluation
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.