Background/Purpose The Fun-n-Fit program was implemented to combat the upward trend in childhood obesity and to meet the needs of overweight, lower SES, minority students from the local school district. Research suggests that overweight children do not experience the same amount of enjoyment as their peers, and thus, commitment to participate in physical activity may be compromised. The purpose of this study was to examine possible changes in children's commitment to physical activity through their participation in the Fun & Fit Program.
Method Perceptions of commitment were measured with a modified version of the Commitment to Physical Activity Questionnaire (Corbin, Nielsen, Borsdorf and Laurie, 1987). Because commitment is linked to enjoyment, the questionnaire is also a measure of children's sense of enjoyment towards physical activity. Participants included 38, third through fifth grade children attending low-income minority schools who had a body mass index equal to or greater than the 85th percentile for their age and sex.
Analysis/Results Results from pre and post data suggest that the students' commitment to physical activity was significantly impacted. The items were each analyzed using paired sample t-tests (alpha < .05). The results indicated that physical activity commitment [t (46) = -4.04] and enjoyment [t (46) = -2.28] were significantly increased as a result of participating in the program. In addition to the quantitative analysis, interview data also indicated that students enjoyed their participation in the program.
Conclusions Findings suggest that the FUN & FIT participants increased enjoyment and commitment to physical activity.