Increasing compliance with elementary school physical education laws to reduce health inequities - YEDI affiliated
Hannah R. Thompson, Professor
Public Health
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2023 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2024.
Today’s youth suffer from unprecedented levels of physical inactivity and poor physical fitness, which contribute to myriad health complications, including increased risk for cardiovascular disease. School physical education (PE) is one of the most valuable tools for increasing physical activity and improving youth fitness and shows potential for reducing related health disparities. However, despite laws in 43 states mandating that schools offer PE, compliance is extremely low in elementary schools, and disparities based on school-level student race/ethnicity and income exist. Evidence points to a lack of accountability as a major factor in low PE law compliance, but measures of accountability are inconsistent (or non-existent) across states, and best practices for increasing compliance with PE mandates remain unknown. For this NIH-funded study, we are working in collaboration with the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to conduct a cluster randomized controlled pilot study to test a district-delivered audit and feedback tool in 8 (4 intervention, 4 control) elementary schools. This study will help us to determine the effectiveness, adaptability, and scalability of this potential cost-effective approach for increasing PE law compliance and student physical activity.
Role: - Conduct literature reviews related to school physical education, youth cardio-respiratory fitness, academic outcomes, and health/academic disparities
- Help with data entry of quantitative PE class data collected in OUSD elementary schools
- Provide support as needed to the head of the OUSD PE Department as he works directly with elementary schools to support PE (eg. research translation and data visualization; research on physical activity grant opportunities for schools; support providing technical assistance to schools to improve PE)
- Qualitative data transcription assistance and basic qualitative data coding
- Help with visualization and dissemination of research findings
Qualifications: Students should be interested in continuing in the spring. We are only seeking upper division undergraduates that have either prior research experience or who have taken basic research/public health classes (epidemiology, biostats, etc).
Preferred (please detail in your application):
- Interest in youth health and academic equity issues;
- Interest in research impact, translation of information and dissemination;
- Experience working with schools and/or youth
- Data entry experience and/or strong skills in Microsoft Excel;
- Experience with data visualization;
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively;
- Ability to time manage and complete assignments on time;
We value equity and inclusion, and highly encourages students from different backgrounds, identities and experiences to apply. We especially encourage LGBTQI+ students to apply.
If you are selected for this research project, you will be given the opportunity to join the YEDI program as a YEDI scholar. YEDI is the Youth Equity Discovery Initiative, an initiative supported by central campus to enhance the discovery experience of undergraduates interested in research work addressing issues of youth equity. YEDI is a research apprenticeship and mentorship program that supplements your research work. The program creates a cohort of undergraduate scholars (usually around 20-30, many from underrepresented backgrounds) that are working on youth equity research. The year-long program utilizes cascading mentorship, skill-building workshops, and professional development to provide supportive pathways into research careers, service, and leadership addressing adolescent inequities and well-being. Scholars greatly benefit from (and enjoy!) the extra research training and support, as well as the professional development opportunities (including faculty guest speakers and graduate student and practitioner panels). The 2022-2023 YEDI cohort will meet on Tuesdays from 4:30pm-6:00pm beginning September 13th. In order to take part in the YEDI program, you must be able to attend the workshops at this time. As a YEDI scholar, you will sign up for a PH198 class and receive 1 unit. This is in addition to the units you receive for your URAP research project. For any questions about YEDI, please contact Marieka Schotland at mschotland@berkeley.edu or see https://i4y.berkeley.edu/initiatives-projects-partnerships/student-training
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Caroline Nguyen, Staff Researcher
Hours: 3-5 hrs
Related website: https://i4y.berkeley.edu/initiatives-projects-partnerships/student-training
Biological & Health Sciences Social Sciences