A controlled trial of a school-based environmental intervention to improve physical activity in Dutch children: JUMP-in, kids in motion.

Merlin E. Jurg , Stef P.J. Kremers, Math J. J. M. Candel, Marcel F. Van Der Wal, Judith S. B. De Meij. Health Promotion International, 21 (4), 320-330 (2006).

Target Group: Children grades 4, 5 and 6

Program Name: JUMP-in

Location: The Netherlands

Study Objective:

• Influencing physical activity behaviour in primary school aged children.

Study Design: Quasi experimental pre-test/post-test control group design

Intervention or Program:

• systematically developed primary-school-based intervention that focuses on the use of theory, environmental changes, parental influences and cooperation with multilevel parties (municipal authorities, local sport services, primary schools and local sport clubs) in intervention development .
• With the exception of ‘parental information service' and ‘Activity-week', all program components were designed for permanent use during a school year
• JUMP-in consisted of six program components: (1) school sports activities, (2) a pupil follow-up system, (3) The Class Moves!, in-class exercises, (4) Choose your Card! lessons aimed at increasing awareness, (5) parental information services and (6) an Activity-week.
• School sports activities - Easy accessible school exercise activities are offered in or near to the school premises. During school hours children get acquainted with a variety of sports, each sport a number of times in several weeks. Subsequently they can join the club out of school hours. School sport activities are characterized by continuity. As far as possible, use will be made of the normal local range of physical activities and existing sports activities in the area, and the school child care centres in the school. ‘School sports activities' are designed to be adopted in the regular school policy, in order that school sport activities will be available all school year long.
• Pupil follow-up system - The physical education (PE) teacher monitors the pupils once a year, in order to stimulate pupils in a structured way in their development in the areas of sport and physical activity and in attaining the physical activity recommendation for youth (i.e. at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days of the week, including twice weekly activities that aim at increasing or maintaining physical fitness (Kemper et al., 1999). In cases where support or care is required, use is made of the existing school network channels.
• The Class Moves! (De klas beweegt!) - This program offers during normal lessons regular breaks for physical activity, relaxation and posture exercises. The aim is to make physical activity a daily habit, to give the children pleasure, awareness and more self-esteem, and to contribute to a healthy sensor-motor development. The Class Moves consists of calendars, each grade had its own calendar. The calendars contain exercises separated on 10 themes, each for every school month. Teachers need to be trained to use ‘the Class Moves!'
• Choose your Card! This is a newly developed card game approach that works with assignments to be done in the class and at home. The method is especially aimed at raising awareness on the importance of physical activity for health and one's own physical activity behaviour, self-efficacy, social support, planning skills, of both the children and their parents. The cards can also be used to prepare an Activity-week and an exhibition. The development of ‘Choose Your Card' was supported by a group of experts on the terrain of physical activity determinants and the implementation of health promotion in schools, and the Dutch Heart Foundation. The cards are used to prepare for an Activity-week and are linked to an exhibition.
• Parental information service - A service in which the importance of physical activity and sports for children and the role played by parents in supporting and stimulating such activity among their children is emphasized. The information can be given in the parents' own language by specially trained information officers. ‘Parental information service' will take place at least once a year.
• Activity-week - In the Activity-week some components of JUMP-in are brought together. Parents play an important role in this week. Some examples of activities in this week are: a sport and activity exhibition where products of ‘Choose your Card' are presented, sports activities and during the week, a warming-up session for parents and children and a sport market where parents and children meet local sport clubs. In this week parental information services will be carried out. ‘The Activity-week' will take place once a year.

Impact on Physical Activity:

• The number of minutes that control group children were physically active decreased, although the decrease in Grades 4 and 5 was not very large (not significantly). On the other hand, intervention group children in Grades 4 and 5 increased their time spent in physical activity (not significantly)
• Despite a slight decrease in physical activity among Grade 6 children in the intervention group, the largest intervention effect was measured in this grade.
• Empirical evidence has shown that children become less physically active as they get older. Apparently, JUMP-in has succeeded in preventing Grade 6 children from becoming less active. The control group of school children from Grade 6 were less active after one year than at baseline by 26.49 minutes per day, while the intervention group decreased by 3.52 minutes per day (not significant)

Implications for Practitioners:

This intervention provides an interesting example of how to target children before they drop out of physical activity. It provided good support for the benefits that can be obtained from a school environment that promotes physical activity.

Author's Email: Merlin Jurg mjurg@ggd.amsterdam.nl