Background
The study proposes to examine the factors that influence change in physical activity in boys and girls as they transition from elementary to middle school. The proposed study will be unique in applying state-of-the-art measures and multi-level modeling strategies in examining the mechanisms that underlie change in physical activity during the transition from childhood to adolescence. The study's findings will markedly expand the body of knowledge regarding the influences on development of physical activity behavior in youth. The major objectives of the study are:
To determine the influences of personal social-cognitive, family, neighborhood, school,
and community factors on changes in physical activity in African American and white
boys and girls as they transition from elementary to middle school.
To examine the effects of gender, race and neighborhood environment on factors influencing
changes in physical activity as African American and white children transition from
elementary to middle school.
Involvement
Recruitment began in the fall of 2010. Over 1100 5th graders were recruited to participate in the study. Each participant will complete all measures each year of the study, during their 5th grade, 6th grade and 7th grade years.
Project Details
Timeline: 2008 - 2012
Funding Source: NIH
Principal Investigator: Russell R. Pate
Co-Investigator(s): Ruth Saunders, Cheryl Addy, Rod Dishman, Natalie Colabianchi, Lyndie Carney-Forthofer,
Dwayne Porter
Transitions and Activity Changes in Kids 2 (TRACK 2)
Overview
TRACK 2 continues the work in the cohort established in the TRACK project which examined the factors that explain the changes in objectively-measured physical activity as children transition from elementary to middle school. TRACK 2 is following the cohort into high school and is currently measuring participants again as 9th and 11th graders.
A major goal of TRACK 2 is to inform future interventions to increase physical activity in youth by identify factors that explain changes in physical activity behavior among children transition from elementary school through middle school and into high school. A second goal is to expend the body of knowledge regarding the relationship between physical activity and other important health indicators, such as body fatness, during childhood and adolescence.
The following specific aims are currently being addressed:
- Aim 1 – To identify personal, social environmental and physical environmental factors that influence the age-related trajectory for physical activity in youth as they transition from elementary school to high school.
- Aim 2 – To describe the longitudinal associations among physical activity, sedentary behavior and measures of body weight status in youth as they transition from elementary school to high school.
- Aim 3 – To describe the relationship between physical activity, observed longitudinally during childhood and adolescence, and selected health indicators in high school students.
Project Details
Timeline: 2014 - 2017
Funding Source: NHLBI
Principal Investigator: Russell R. Pate
Co-Investigator(s): Chery Addy, Ruth Saunders, Dwayne Porter, Melinda Forthofer, Daheia Barr-Anderson,
Marsha Dowda, Kerry McIver
Publications
After-school setting, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in 5th grade boys and girls. Health and Place. 2012;18:951-955. DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2012.06.013
Dowda M, Saunders RP, Dishman RK, Pate RR. Association of physical activity, sedentary behavior, diet quality with adiposity: a longitudinal analysis in children categorized by baseline weight status. Int J Obes. 2024 Feb; 48(2):240–246. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-023-01405-2
Pate RR, Dowda M, Dishman RK, Colabianchi N, Cordan KL, Shull ER, Bucko AG, Colabianchi N. Determinants of change in physical activity in children during the transition from elementary to high school. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024 Jul 1; 56(7):1275–1284. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000003422
Saunders RP, Dowda M, Dishman RK, Pate RR. A longitudinal examination of direct and indirect influences of parental behaviors on child physical activity. J Child Fam Stud. 2024; 33:2262–2270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02830-1
Ross SE, Saunders RP, Dowda M, Pate RR. Longitudinal changes in domains of physical activity during the transition from elementary to high school in the U.S. J Sci Med Sport. 2023 Apr-May; 26(4-5):261-266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2023.04.005
Pate RR, Saunders RP, Taverno Ross SE, Dowda M. Patterns of age-related change in physical activity during the transition from elementary to high school. Prev Med Rep. 2022; 26:101712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101712
Pate RR, Dowda M, Dishman RK, Gorab J, Bucko A, Saunders RP. Longitudinal association of biological maturation with physical activity behaviors in girls transitioning from 5th to 7th grade. Am J Hum Biol. 2022; e23737. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23737
Dowda M, Dishman RK, Saunders RP, Pate RR. Associations between three measures of physical activity and selected influences on physical activity in youth transitioning from elementary to middle school. Sports Med Health Sci. 2021; 3:21-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smhs.2021.02.004
Bucko AG, Porter DE, Saunders R, Shirley L, Dowda M, Pate RR. Walkability indices and children’s walking behavior in rural vs. urban areas. Health & Place. 2021; 102707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102707
Pate RR, Dowda M, Saunders R, Colabianchi N, Clennin M, McIver KL, Militello G, Bucko A, Porter D, Shirley WL. Operationalizing and Testing the Concept of a Physical Activity Desert. J Phys Act Health. 2021; 18(5):533-540. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2020-0382
Saunders RP, Dishman RK, Dowda M, Pate RR. Personal, social, and environmental influences on physical activity in groups of children as defined by different physical activity patterns. J Phys Act Health. 2020; 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2020-0159
Shull ER, Dowda M, Saunders RP, McIver K, Pate RR. Sport participation, physical activity and sedentary behavior in the transition from middle school to high school. J Sci Med Sport. 2020; 23:385-389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2019.10.017
Dowda M, Saunders RP, Colabianchi N, Dishman RK, McIver KL, Pate RR. Longitudinal associations between psychosocial, home, and neighborhood factors and children’s physical activity. J Phys Act Health. 2020; 17:306-312. DOI: 10.1123/jpah.2019-0137
Clennin M, Brown A, Lian M, Dowda M, Colabianchi N, Pate RR. Neighborhood Socioeconomic Deprivation Associated with Fat Mass and Weight Status in Youth. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(17):6421. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176421
Ross SE, Militello G, Dowda M, Pate RR. Changes in Diet Quality in Youth Living in South Carolina From Fifth to 11th Grade. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2020; 52(10):928-934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2020.03.001
Pate RR, Dowda M, Dishman RK, Colabianchi N, Saunders RP, McIver KL. Change in children’s physical activity: Predictors in the transition from elementary to middle school. Am J Prev Med. 2019; 56:e65-e73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.10.006
Colabianchi N, Clennin MN, Dowda M, McIver KL, Dishman RK, Porter DE, Pate RR. Moderating effect of the neighbourhood physical activity environment on the relation between psychosocial factors and physical activity in children: a longitudinal study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2019; 73:598-604. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2018-211456
Dishman RK, McIver KL, Dowda M, Saunders RP, Pate RR. Self-efficacy, beliefs, and goals: Moderation of declining physical activity during adolescence. Health Psychol. 2019; 38:483-493. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000734
Clennin MN, Lian M, Colabianchi N, Kaczynski AT, Dowda M, Pate RR. Associations among neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation, physical activity facilities, and physical activity in youth during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019; 16:3703. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16203703
Pate RR, Schenkelberg MA, Dowda M, McIver KL. Group-based physical activity trajectories in children transitioning from elementary to high school. BMC Public Health. 2019; 19:323. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6630-7
Dishman RK, McIver KL, Dowda M, Pate RR. Declining Physical Activity and Motivation from Middle School to High School. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018 Jun; 50(6):1206-1215. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001542
Ross SE, Clennin MN, Dowda M, Colabianchi N, Pate RR. Stepping It Up: Walking Behaviors in Children Transitioning from 5th to 7th Grade. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018; 15(2):262. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15020262
Saunders RP, Dowda M, McIver K, McDonald SM, Pate RR. Physical and social contexts of physical activity behaviors of fifth and seventh grade youth. J Sch Health. 2018; 88(2):122-131. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12600
Forthofer M, Dowda M, O’Neill JR, Addy CL, McDonald S, Reid L, Pate RR. Effect of Child Gender and Psychosocial Factors on Physical Activity From Fifth to Sixth Grade. J Phys Act Health. 2017; 14(12):953-958. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2017-0026
Barr-Anderson DJ, Flynn JI, Dowda M, Ross SE, Schenkelberg MA, Reid LA, Pate RR. The modifying effects of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status on the change in physical activity from elementary to middle school. J Adolesc Health. 2017; 61(5):562-570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.06.030
Lau EY, Dowda M, McIver KL, Pate RR. Changes in physical activity in the school, after-school, and evening periods during the transition from elementary to middle school. J Sch Health. 2017; 87(7):531-537. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12515
Dishman RK, Dowda M, McIver KL, Saunders RP, Pate RR. Naturally-occurring changes in social-cognitive factors modify change in physical activity during early adolescence. PLoS One. 2017; 12(2):e0172040. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172040
Dowda M, Taverno Ross SE, McIver KL, Dishman RK, Pate RR. Physical activity and changes in adiposity in the transition from elementary to middle school. Childhood Obes. 2017; 13(1):53-62. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2016.0103
Colabianchi N, Griffin JL, McIver KL, Dowda M, Pate RR. Where are children active and does it matter for physical activity? A latent transition analysis. J Phys Act Health. 2016; 13(12):1294-1300. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2016-0280
Ross SET, Byun W, Dowda M, McIver KL, Saunders RP, Pate RR. Classes of physical activity and sedentary behavior in 5th grade children. Am J Health Behav. 2016; 40(3):352-361. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.40.3.7
Forthofer M, Dowda M, McIver K, Barr-Anderson DJ, Pate R. Associations between maternal support and physical activity among 5th grade students. Maternal and Child Health J. 2016; 20(3):720-729. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-015-1873-0
Dishman RK, McIver KL, Dowda M, Saunders RP, Pate RR. Motivation and behavioral regulation of physical activity in middle-school students. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015; 47(9):1913-1921. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000616
McDonald S, Dowda M, Colabianchi N, Porter D, Dishman RK, Pate RR. Perceptions of the neighborhood environment and children’s after-school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2015; 27(2):243-251. https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.2014-0139
Ross SET, Byun W, Dowda M, McIver KL, Saunders RP, Pate RR. Sedentary behaviors in fifth-grade boys and girls: Where, with whom, and why? Childhood Obes. 2013; 9. DOI: 10.1089/chi.2013.0021
Dishman RK, Saunders RP, McIver KL, Dowda M, Pate RR. Construct Validity of Selected Measures of Physical Activity Beliefs and Motives in Fifth and Sixth Grade Boys and Girls. J Pediatr Psychol. 2013; 38(5):563-576. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jst013
Taverno Ross SE, Dowda M, Colabianchi N, Saunders R, Pate RR. After-school setting, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in 5th grade boys and girls. Health & Place. 2012; 18:951-955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2012.06.013