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A Profile of the Evaluation of Kids on the Move Program
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Program Description
| Overview | Kids on the Move (KOTM) is an after school activity and healthy lifestyles program developed and piloted by the Community Health Development and Advocacy (CHDA) staff at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHA) in response to an identified increase in cardiovascular disease risk factors, especially among children in high-risk populations. Through health education and structured active play, KOTM aims to reduce cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and decreased opportunities for physical activity in high-risk children ages 8 to 12 in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| Start Date | 1999 |
| Scope | local |
| Type | after school |
| Location | urban |
| Setting | public school |
| Participants | elementary school students |
| Number of Sites/Grantees | The program has been offered at 17 sites between 1999 and 2002. There was an average of five sites added per year. |
| Number Served | 240 participants over the program's first three years (1999–2002) |
| Components | KOTM is delivered in a session that consists of eight weeks, meeting three days per week. The program includes a one-hour session, three days each week. Each session includes a “warm-up,” “cool-down,” and 25 minutes of structured active play. During the warm-up and cool-down, youth are instructed in health messages related to decreasing risk factors for heart disease. Healthy food choices, avoidance of tobacco use, and the importance of daily physical activity are among the topics. The Know Your Body curriculum was used as a resource in developing the health topics. |
| Funding Level | $100,000 per year for the first four years, $25,000 for 2003 |
| Funding Sources | Georgia Indigent Care Trust Fund |
| Other | Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHA) is a private nonprofit pediatric healthcare system in Atlanta, Georgia. Community Health Development and Advocacy (CHDA) is CHA's organizing department, whose purpose is to create and sustain community partnerships to improve the health status of Georgia's children. |
Evaluation
| Overview | Both process and outcome evaluations were conducted over the course of KOTM's implementation in after school settings during its first three years. The outcome evaluation focused on impacts of the program on children's health and fitness related behavior, direct changes in children's fitness, while the process evaluation focused on documenting successful and problematic components of KOTM. |
| Evaluator | Rachana Naran, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta |
| Evaluations Profiled | Kids on the Move Evaluation Report |
| Evaluations Planned | Evaluations of the train-the-facilitator portion of the program are planned (a portion of KOTM that attempts to expand the program's reach by training after school personnel in the delivery of the program, thereby not relying solely on CHA staff for delivery of the eight-week program at each school). |
| Report Availability | Naran, R. (2002). Kids on the Move evaluation report. Atlanta, GA: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. |
Contacts
| Evaluation | Rachana Naran, M.P.H. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Community Health Development & Advocacy Department 1655 Tullie Circle Atlanta, GA 30329 Tel: 404-417-5671 Email: rachana.naran@choa.org |
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| Program | Ann Walsh, R.D. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Community Health Development & Advocacy Department 1655 Tullie Circle Atlanta, GA 30329 Tel: 404-417-5661 Email: ann.walsh@choa.org |
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| Profile Updated | April 11, 2003 | |
Evaluation: Kids on the Move Evaluation Report
Evaluation Description
| Evaluation Purpose | To determine changes in participants' flexibility and changes in participants' health-related behaviors. In addition, a formative process evaluation sought to ensure that the program could be effectively implemented in a variety of settings. |
| Evaluation Design | Quasi-Experimental and Non-Experimental: Pretest/posttest data were collected for 170 (90 females and 80 males) of the 242 program's participants. Some students were not included due to attrition, being unavailable for the test, or being physically unable to complete the testing. In addition, 139 parent interviews were conducted by telephone at the end of the program. Evaluators also used data from daily interactions with students, parents, and after school personnel. |
| Data Collection Methods | Document Review: Attendance data were analyzed to measure the program's popularity with student participants. Observation: Since the evaluators directly ran the KOTM program, they used their regular interactions with parents, personnel, and participants in evaluating successful elements of the program and other implementation issues. Surveys/Questionnaires: An eight-item questionnaire was administered to parents of participants via telephone at the end of the program. Parents were asked about their children's reactions to KOTM, as well as about any changes in behavior as a result of KOTM, such as changes in types of beverage intake (drinking water vs. soda) and child activity levels. Tests/Assessments: The back-saver, sit-and-reach test was given to children both before and after KOTM to measure changes in flexibility. The student removes his/her shoes and sits down at the sit-and-reach box. One leg is fully extended with the foot flat against the end of the box. The other knee is bent with the sole of the foot flat on the floor and two to three inches to the side of the straight knee. The arms are extended forward over the sit-and-reach box with the hands placed one on top of the other. With palms down, the student pushes forward with both hands along the scale holding the position for at least a second so that the measurement can be read. The student then changes legs when the test is completed with one leg. |
| Data Collection Timeframe | Data were collected at the beginning and end of each eight-week session during all three years (1999–2000, 2000–2001, and 2001–2002). |
Findings:
Formative/Process Findings
| Activity Implementation | The evaluators found it to be problematic to start the program delivery before the after school snack, since participants became hungry during the program and would not want to participate if no snacks were provided beforehand. Many students reported enjoying activities more if the facilitator participated in activities with the kids. The evaluators found that some staff members' use of making participants “sit out” of physical activity components sent the wrong message and decreased enjoyment of active play. Activities which included a variety of games and that did not stress competition were found to enhance participants' enjoyment of activities. |
| Program Context/Infrastructure | The evaluators found it to be necessary to have sufficient indoor space for physical activity in case of inclement weather. |
| Recruitment/Participation | Of the 242 participants over the programs first three years, 114 (47%) were female and 128 (53%) were male, 223 (92%) were African-American, 10 (4%) were Caucasian, and the remaining 9 participants were of other ethnic backgrounds. The participants in the program completed 93% of the available sessions, as compared to typical attendance rates for other CHDA programs of approximately 70–80%. |
Summative/Outcome Findings
| Prevention | Participants' flexibility improved for both right leg (+2.79 points) and left leg (+2.76 points), p<.001. The test is measured in inches with readings starting at 12 inches. Nearly half (49.3%) of the parents stated that their child was drinking more water since beginning the program. Over half (51.7%) of the parents stated that they noticed an increase in their child's activity level since beginning the program. |