Schools play a key role in educating youth with knowledge related to energy balance (EB). EB knowledge refers to the concepts, principles, and strategies in relation to the balance between an individual’s energy intake and energy expenditure, the scientific mechanism underlying weight fluctuation. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of a pilot intervention that involved a two-lesson constructivist instructional unit and a behavior monitoring technology package in enhancing adolescent students’ EB knowledge.
Method:
The participants were 114 sixth and seventh grade students in a U.S. mid-western state who were randomized, at the class level, into two groups: (1) receiving educational treatment (i.e., two EB lessons taught in physical education classes; n = 52) and (2) receiving combined treatment (i.e., two EB lessons + self-monitoring energy flux for two weeks using a Sensewear armband monitor (BodyMedia / Jawborn) and a portable diet journal; n = 62). Three physical educators taught the two scripted lesson plans focused on EB knowledge. The participating students were instructed on how to use the technology prior to the experiment, and were provided informational feedback on energy tracking in the course of experiment. EB knowledge was pre- and post-measured using a standardized written test. Situational interest was measured at the end of the experiment for both treatment groups. Repeated measure analysis of variance (RMANOVA) was conducted to capture the differences in EB knowledge by time and group; while one-way ANOVAs were conducted to capture the differences in situational interest between the two groups.
Analysis/Results:
The between-subject test revealed that EB knowledge performance in the posttest was similar between the education (M/SD=6.57/1.89) and the combined groups (M/SD=6.59/1.97; F1,112 = 1.26, p = .27, η2= .01). The within-subject test captured a significant increase in EB knowledge in both groups (F1,112 = 11.85, p = .001, η2 = .10). However, the significant interaction effect demonstrated that the combined group had a greater increase in EB knowledge than the education group (F1,112 = 5.36, p = .02, η2 = .05). Overall, the two groups were found having similar levels of situational interest (education group: M/SD=4.00/.68; combined group: M/SD=4.17/.74; p = .18); in other words, both groups were equally motivated to participate in the experiment.
Conclusions: The two lessons and the technology package exerted independent as well as collective effects on enhancing students’ EB knowledge. The EB unit needs to increase the number of lessons to enlarge treatment effect.