141st APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

288923
Association between joint use agreements and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behavior


Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 10:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Sandy J. Slater, PhD, Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Jamie F. Chriqui, PhD, MHS, Institute for Health Research and Policy and Division of Health Policy & Administration, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Frank J. Chaloupka, PhD, Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Lloyd Johnston, PhD, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
     
Purpose: Research examining the impact of joint use agreements (JUA) on physical activity (PA) is limited, but studies show that children with access to existing/renovated school recreational facilities outside of regular school hours are more likely to be active. However, policy strategies are needed to not only increase PA, but decrease sedentary activity among youth. Most school districts have JUAs that address recreational use of school facilities, but most of these policies contain vague language or limit the types of shared use and facilities that are available to the public during non-school hours. Therefore, we examined whether stronger JUAs are associated with increased PA, as well as decreased sedentary behavior in adolescents.

Methods: Data on PA, sports participation, and sedentary behavior were taken from annual cross-sectional nationally representative samples of 8th, 10th and 12th grade public school students in the US. A JUA scale was constructed using information obtained from corresponding school district JUAs and associated JU-related policies. Multivariate analyses were conducted, controlling for youth and community demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and clustering at the district/school level.

Results/Findings: Preliminary results showed more specific JUAs were associated with decreased sedentary behavior in adolescents. JUAs were associated with increased PA in black adolescents, but ones specifying that community (vs. school) organizations had priority use of facilities outside school hours were negatively associated with school-based sports participation among females students.

Conclusions: This study provides some of the first initial evidence of the association between joint use policies and adolescent PA and sedentary behavior.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Identify key components in joint use policies that are associated with adolescent physical activity and sedentary behavior that could be targeted for future policy interventions.

Keyword(s): Physical Activity, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have over 15 years experience as a principal investigator or co-investigator on numerous small and large-scale school and community-level studies designed to examine and reduce modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity, obesity, and tobacco use. My research program also focuses on better understanding racial, ethnic and cultural differences in health behaviors and environments as they specifically relate to health disparities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5130.0: Policy in action: joint use agreements and local policies to support physical activity in the community