The effects of a mentoring program on eating behavior, physical activity and self-efficacy in overweight upper-elementary students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a school-community mentoring program on eating behavior, nutrition knowledge, physical activity levels and self-efficacy in goal setting and decision-making. The study used a pretest-posttest design with nonequivalent control and treatment groups. A non-random sample of 131 fourth and fifth grade students identified as overweight according to their age-gender specific Body Mass Index (BMI) values (95% or higher) was obtained from nine Title 1 elementary schools in a Midwestern mid-sized urban community. Demographics of the sample included: 46% (n=57) male, 54% (n=67) female; 68.9% (n=73) White, non-Hispanic, 11.3% (n=12) Black, 3.8% (n=4) were Hispanic, 4.7% (n=5) Asian, 1.9% (n=2) American Indian, 9.4% (n=10) indicated 'other'. Children in the treatment group (n=107) participated in a 10-week mentoring program designed to facilitate nonformal learning related to goal setting and decision-making in the areas of nutrition and physical activity. The mentors of the program intervention were undergraduate senior-level college students majoring in the health sciences. Mentors were trained and then matched with an elementary student in the treatment group. The control group (n=24) received no mentoring intervention.
The pretest measures were used as the covariates for the posttest measures in order to deal with the known problem of using difference scores and their reliabilities. The ANCOVA results indicated significant effects at the .05 level on fruit, vegetable, and dairy consumption, physical activity levels, meal choice, nutrition knowledge, and self-efficacy in setting personal goals and decision-making related to physical activity and health eating.
The experiences of making successful choices in eating and physical activity and the support of an actively involved adult can strengthen the perceptions of their ability to set goals and make decisions. Results of this study indicate that school based mentoring programs can play a significant and unique role in addressing self-efficacy and skill development associated with eating and physical activity behavior change in children.
Learning outcomes for this presentation include: 1. Participants will gain a greater understanding of the effects of a mentoring intervention on eating behavior, physical activity levels and self-efficacy changes in upper-elementary students. 2. Participants will gain an understanding of the developmental process of an effective mentoring program. 3. Participants will be provided with specific implications for practice.