The promotion of a physical active lifestyle among Flemish school teachers

THE PROMOTION OF A PHYSICAL ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
AMONG FLEMISH SCHOOL TEACHERS

Inge Bogaert, Licentiaat in de Lichamelijke Opvoeding, [email protected]

Promotor: Prof.dr.E.Zinzen & Prof.dr.K.De.Martelaer
Copromotor: Prof.dr.P.Clarys & Prof.dr.B.Deforche

Vakgroep Bewegingsvorming en Sporttraining, Faculteit Lichamelijke Opvoeding en
Kinesitherapie - Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Introduction: Although a regular level of physical activity is believed to significantly improve health benefits, most adults and children are insufficiently engaged in physical activity (PA) to attain those health benefits. The promotion of a Physical Active LifeStyle (PALS) among the population is considered to be part of the primary prevention program of welfare diseases. Because most people spend approximately half of their waking hours at the workplace or at school, this is an ideal setting for a health promotion intervention1. Many studies are available regarding the physical activity behavior among children and adolescents2 in the schools. But the school is not only an ideal setting for the promotion of a PALS among children, it is also a working environment for the teachers. Knowing that adults have a great influence as a role model on children's and adolescents behavior3,4, they are an important target group for health promotion programs. However not many research concerning this topic could be found in recent literature up till now. Therefore this PhD study will evaluate the PALS and the ergonomics of Flemish teachers at first and thereafter develop a multi-component PALS and ergonomic intervention to implement among Flemish teachers.

Methode: After a thorough study of the literature (ongoing) the project will start in September 2010 with a (1) descriptive study regarding the PALS of the teachers using different validated questionnaires. The ergonomics of teaching (2) will be studied by questionnaires and video analysis. From the results of the literature and the current PALS status of the teachers an (3) intervention will be developed and (4) evaluated. Outcome measures will concern behavioral changes of the teachers, but also effects on the long-term (5), cost effectiveness of the intervention (6) and the influence of the teacher's role model on the pupils (7).

Process evaluation: Up until this moment, my main occupation was developing a research proposal about health promotion and a physical active lifestyle in particular. So far I have mainly been performing a study of the literature around this topic. A couple of difficulties I came across in this period were : (1) narrowing down the topics and evaluating the relevance of them, (2) deciding what to read first and how deep a subject needs to be elaborated in the study and (3) to find structure in searches en search results.

References:
1. Engbers, L. et al. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2005 , 29(1), 61-70.
2. Biddle, S. & Stensel, D. J. Journal of Sports Sciences (2004), 22(8), 679.
3. Hagger, M. et al. Psychology & Health 2005, 24(6), 689-711.
4. Hartline-Grafton, H. L., et al. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2009, 109(9), 1548-1556.