A. Purposes
This is a case study. Students will participate in the development of a physical activity promotion plan using evidence-based intervention strategies, cost-effective evaluation tools, and culturally appropriate communication tools. Students must take into consideration of cultural, social-economic, linguistic, and environmental characteristics of the population group in developing and promoting the program. Specifically, you will be asked to do an assessment of physical activity and develop a plan of physical activity promotion for a hypothetical city, which is located in the southwest of the United States. The project has five parts that cover the process of assessment, planning, and evaluation of health promotion.
B. Background
The city has a population of 145,000 that is composed of African Americans (25%), Hispanics (45%), non-Hispanic whites (25%), and individuals of other racial groups (5%). Fifty-five percent of the residents are 20-64 years of age while 30% are below age 20. Eighty-one percent of these residents have an annual family income of under fifty thousand dollars, with thirty percent living in poverty annually. Over 35% of adult residents do not have a high school degree. Of which 10% have less than middle school education. Fifteen percent of the residents are non-English speakers or speak limited English.
Many of the streets in the city are not well lit after dark and do not have sidewalks. Traffic signs and street markings are poorly maintained. There are stray dogs on the street, especially in low-income neighborhoods. The city has 4 parks with picnic tables and plays equipment for children like swings and slides that are now well maintained. The parks are often used by criminals for illegal activities such as selling drugs, due to lack of police patrol. The city also has three community recreation centers with limited exercise equipment that opens only on weekends and charge the residents for use. The city’s two public swimming pools are open during summertime. There are some private fitness facilities that are usually located in the affluent part of the city. There are 5 TV stations and 4 newspapers including some that serve non-English speaking residents.
The school district is struggling with its student performance in the state-mandated standard tests. Students get 60 minutes of physical education a week so that they can dedicate more time to mathematics and reading. Although most of the children live within 2 miles from the schools, only a few walk to school because of parental concerns of traffic safety and criminal activities. There are no before- or after-school programs offered to children living in low-income communities.
A recent survey conducted by the City’s Park and Recreation Department found that 31% of adult residents met the 2008 physical activity recommendations while 35% reported no leisure-time physical activity. Only 5% of school-age children met the physical activity recommendation based on Healthy People 2020 Objectives for aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises. The survey also linked physical activity to chronic diseases and other health conditions in the city. The City and residents are very interested in developing a plan to promote physical activity, especially in low-income areas. However, the city has faced a financial crisis due to poor budgeting and reduced tax income in recent years. It has limited resources to support the plan.
C. Project Task Assignments
You as the director of the City’s Park and Recreation Department has been asked to create a one-year plan to promote an active lifestyle and increase the level of physical activity for the residents of the city in the upcoming year. In developing the plan, you will complete the following five steps:
Step 1: Assessment of the current status of physical activity: You will develop an assessment of the levels of physical activity in the city compared with the corresponding national prevalence of physical activity and identify the reasons contributing to the current levels of physical activity from a socio-ecological perspective. You need to address the following questions:
Is the levels of physical activity in the city below, similar to, or above the national prevalence?
What are the micro- and macro-level factors influencing the participation of physical activity in the city? Explain how they influence participation in physical activity.
You need to refer to Module 1 week 1 discussion on the national prevalence of physical activity
Step 2: Development of S.M.A.R.T. goals (sometimes referred to as S.M.A.R.T objectives): You will develop S.M.A.R.T. goals in three different areas (i.e. micro- or macro-level factors) to increase the levels of participation in physical activity for the city, by applying the principles of the S.M.A.R.T. goals. You need to address the following questions:
What areas should be targeted to increase physical activity, based on the assessment?
What are the goals to increase the levels of physical activity in the city, based on the principles of the S.M.A.R.T. goals?
Explanations of the principles for the S.M.A.R.T. Goals can be found at:
Links to an external site.https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/practice/resources/phqitoolbox/objectives.html Links to an external site.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwixlsTLn8yBAxUtlmoFHXnSCSIQFnoECBgQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fstd%2Fprogram%2Fpupestd%2Fdeveloping%2520program%2520goals%2520and%2520objectives.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1U3IPw7-Utv_wLgN-Hfhyn&opi=89978449 Links to an external site.
Evaluate_SMART_Objectives_Template.doc Download Evaluate_SMART_Objectives_Template.doc
Step 3: Measurement of the levels of physical activity: Based on the recommendations of the City’s Recreation and Parks Department, the City has decided to focus its effort on four key areas: 1) improving neighborhood safety, 2) changing school physical education policy, 3) extending operation hours and reducing fees in public physical activity facilities, and 4) increasing the awareness of importance of, and opportunities for, physical activity in non-English speaking residents, in order to increase the level of physical activity in adults and children in the city. You as the Department’s Director are asked to select the most feasible and cost-effective evaluation tools to assess the changes in the level of physical activity in a large community-wide public health project. You also need to provide justifications for selecting the measurement tools (questionnaires, pedometers, accelerometers, observations, etc.) for its feasibility and cost-effectiveness for evaluating the achievement of the goals-the key focus areas. You need to address the following questions:
Which evaluation tools meet the needs to evaluate the levels and changes in physical activity (you can choose more than one tool)?
Why did you choose the tools?
Comments from Customer
Hello, can you please complete steps 1,2,3. Thank you Discipline: Physical Education
