The current situation with childhood obesity is the important role of exercise in addressing this issue. There are numerous unanswered questions related to the efficacy and economic viability of youth physical activity delivery systems. Physical activity programs that result in weight loss exist, but there has been no analysis of whether such programs are replicable, scalable and sustainable and if so, at what cost. Further, there has been no integrated analysis of the projected impact of related and supporting programs that might increase the likelihood of physical activity program success and sustainability, such as:
- local, state and federal laws and policies
- individual and institutional incentives
- media and public education initiatives
- role of fitness testing and effectiveness of various measurement systems
- role and delivery of nutrition information
This lack of a comprehensive assessment of the relative costs and effectiveness of various approaches to increasing youth physical activity levels inhibits the development of a strategic plan that can be used by educators, foundation funders, responsible corporate citizens, public officials and other interested parties to determine their appropriate roles and actions. Further, potential resource providers (corporations, government, foundations, trade associations and national education, nutrition, sports and physical activity-related non-profit organizations) for such a physical activity initiative would be more likely to invest in such a program if they were assured that their investment would achieve an intended result and they were able to estimate the return on their investment.
Key Questions that Must be Addressed
Desired Outcome
Effectively reduce childhood obesity across the target population group in a way that is replicable, scalable and sustainable.
Key questions:
- What is the target audience and why?
- What assessment of overweight and obesity will be used, what is the baseline data and how often will progress be assessed?
- What standards will be used to determine whether the outcome is sustainable?
- What is the rank order of the cost efficiency and effectiveness of various strategic elements and the minimum elements required to produce the primary impact, the initial and continuing costs of such elements, and the likely sources of sustainable revenues to support such programs?
Desired Outcome
Create a sustained increase in daily physical activity among children in target population groups.
Key questions:
- What is the research supported standard of physical activity (minutes per day/days per week and or fitness assessment measures) that should be adopted?
- What is a baseline level for “success” vs. what is ideal?
- Who are the mass providers of physical activity programs and what are the current physical activity levels of the populations they serve?
- What are the policy, legal and other incentives that could be implemented to increase physical activity levels to the desired standard and the cost of implementing such incentives (i.e., promulgating mandatory physical education laws, required testing, intrinsic or extrinsic incentive systems for participants, teachers and program providers, reduced insurance rates for corporations providing fitness programs, etc.)?
- Who are the model program providers that have already demonstrated the ability to produce desired physical activity levels and reductions in overweight and obesity; what are the economic costs of such programs, the possibilities of reducing the costs of such programs, and the feasibility and costs of replicating and sustaining such programs on a broad scale?
- What are the most likely sources of financial support for physical activity program delivery (i.e., state taxes on soft drinks or food products with high fat or sugar levels used to support physical activity programming, web centric collection and analysis of physical activity or fitness data, etc.) and are the sources sufficient to expand and sustain delivery at desired levels?
Desired Outcome
Create positive attitudes among children and their parents toward daily physical exercise.
Key questions:
- What are the most cost efficient and effective communications mechanisms that will reach the target population and their parents?
- How and how often will attitudes be measured and baselines established?
