Effects of the CATCH physical education intervention - Teacher type and lesson location

Background: Substantial differences exist in how and where physical educati on (PE) is conducted in elementary schools throughout the United States. Fe w effectiveness studies of large-scale interventions to improve PE have bee n reported. Design: Multicenter randomized trial. Setting/participants: The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Hea lth (CATCH) was implemented in PE classes in 96 schools (56 intervention, 2 0 control) in four study centers: California, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Tex as. Intervention: The 2.5-year PE intervention consisted of professional develo pment sessions, curricula, and follow-up consultations. Main Outcome Measures: Intervention effects oil student physical activity a nd lesson context in PE were examined by teacher type (PE specialists and c lassroom teachers) and lesson location (indoors and outdoors). Results: Differential effects by teacher type and lesson location were evid enced for both physical activity and lesson context. Observations of 2016 l essons showed that intervention schools provided more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (p=0.002) and vigorous physical activity (p=0.02) than co ntrols. Classroom teachers improved physical activity relatively more than PE specialists, but PE specialists still provided longer lessons and more p hysical activity. Classroom teachers increased lesson length (p=0.02) and t ime for physical fitness (p=0.03). Conclusions: The intervention improved PE of both specialists' and classroo m teachers' lessons. States and districts should ensure that the most quali fied staff teaches PE. Interventions need to be tailored to meet local need s and conditions, including teacher type and location of lessons.