Scheduled for Research Consortium Poster Session: Thematic Early Childhood and Elementary Education Posters, Friday, March 16, 2007, 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area I


Pedometer-Assessed Physical Activity Level and Body Composition Among Minority Children in an After-School Physical Education Program

Bulent Agbuga1, Ping Xiang2 and Ron E. McBride2, (1)Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, (2)Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

A great deal of research has documented relationships between pedometer-assessed physical activity level and body composition (Raustorp, Pangrazi & Stahle, 2004; Tudor-Locke et al., 2001; Tudor-Locke et al., 2004). This is because such inquiry can help understand the relations of physical activity to health outcomes and identify risk groups including obese and sedentary individuals. But most of participants in this work came from white and middle class communities. Moreover, physical activity level was measured by the total number of steps participants took in each single day, which may weaken the reliability and validity of the results (e.g., Raustorp et al., 2004; Tudor-Locke et al., 2004). To address these two issues, the current investigation examined relationships between pedometer-assessed physical activity level and body composition among low socio-economic minority children in an after-school physical education program. Participants included 47 students in grade 3-6 (25 boys and 22 girls; 66% African-American and 34% Hispanic-American) from one school district, who were qualified for participation in the after school physical education program. To assess participants' physical activity level, they were instructed to carry the pedometers for the entire after-school physical education class time for five consecutive lessons. The mean step counts for these five consecutive lessons served as a measure of physical activity level (M = 1573, SD = 371). To assess participants' body composition (measured by body mass index (BMI)), the lead researcher first measured their height and weight and then calculated their BMI by dividing their body weight in kilograms by height in meters squared (M = 19.41, SD = 3.20). The Pearson product-moment correlation analysis revealed an inverse and significant relationship between children's physical activity level and their BMI (r = -.393, p < .01). Results of the linear regression analysis further confirmed this relationship and showed that pedometer-assessed physical activity level (â = -. 393, p < .01) emerged as a significant negative predictor of children's BMI and explained 16% of the variance. Findings of this study are consistent with Tudor-Locke et al. study (2001) that pedometer-assessed physical activity level and body composition were inversely correlated. They also provide empirical evidence that such a relationship existed among this group of minority children in a context of after-school physical education program. To help minority children maintain normal and healthy weight, teachers should maximize physical activity opportunities for them.
Keyword(s): elementary issues, multiculturalism/cultural diversity, youth-at-risk

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