Kinesiology researchers receive NIH funding

June 2009

A $73,166 National Institutes of Health  grant will enable three Department of Kinesiology faculty members to examine the influence two different physical education instructional approaches have on the activity levels of African-American children from rural backgrounds.

Drs. Mary Rudisill, Leah Robinson and Danielle Wadsworth are working with children at Loachapoka Elementary School in an effort to learn which approaches to physical education best promote high activity levels and healthy lifestyle habits for children who might otherwise be at risk of becoming obese and developing related medical complications. Their study is entitled, "Exploring physical activity response to different motivational climates in rural African-American children: A school-based approach to increasing physical activity through physical education.''

Rudisill, a Wayne T. Smith distinguished professor and department head, and Robinson, an assistant professor, specialize in motor behavior. Wadsworth, an assistant professor, specializes in health promotion.

Their project is especially timely given that, according to recent data released by the state, 18 percent of Alabama's young children are classified as obese. The percentage has risen each year and has grown to include an especially high number of African-American children in Alabama's rural counties. Because sedentary behavior is linked to obesity in children, Rudisill, Robinson and Wadsworth will investigate the role physical education programming plays in the physical activity of children ages 5-8.

Specifically, the researchers will look at the results achieved through "mastery motivational climate'' physical education programming versus those obtained by the more traditional "low autonomy'' physical education programming. The former method emphasizes the autonomy of the child, while the latter approach is the teacher-centered form most commonly used in physical education classroom settings.

The researchers hypothesize that the "mastery motivational climate,'' which focuses on students' motivational levels and learning processes, will promote higher levels of physical activity in children. Heart rate monitors, pedometers and observation of fitness instruction periods will enable the researchers to measure the results of both approaches to physical education programming.

Aside from encouraging young students to lead active lifestyles, the study will benefit Loachapoka Elementary School in other ways. The school will receive $5,000 in physical education equipment as a result of its participation in the study.