This webinar was designed primarily for researchers interested in studying school physical activity policy. Two leading researchers discussed school physical activity measurement issues including instrumentation to evaluate policy strength and assess district- and school-level physical activity polices and school-level practices. Methods for data collection were emphasized and both presentations highlighted common data collection challenges and recommend strategies for overcoming barriers.

The specific goals of the webinar were to:  

• Provide background on school physical activity policy research    
• Discuss common school physical activity policy and practice measure issues
• Highlight common data collection challenges and strategies for overcoming barriers

Dr. Monica Lounsbery provided a brief overview of common school physical activity policy research needs and school data sources, introduced the School Physical Activity Policy Assessment (S-PAPA) instrument and modified items from the Physical Activity School Score (PASS) as data sources, and discussed strategies for overcoming barriers to data collection and reliability. Dr. Jamie Chriqui provided a tutorial on evaluating the content of on-the-books state and district physical activity-related policies. In particular, she walked participants through how to assess the specificity, strength, and comprehensiveness of a wide range of physical activity-related policy language and illustrated how the written language matters for informing school-level implementation.

The webinar recording can be accessed by clicking on the "View the Webinar" link above. PDF's of the presentation slides, and a summary of the audience questions and answers will be posted to this web page soon.

Webinar presenters:

Monica A. Lounsbery, PhD, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Monica A. Lounsbery, PhD, is a Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Monica has been a principal investigator on multiple school physical activity policy and practice studies and led the development of the School Physical Activity Policy Assessment (S-PAPA) and the Physical Activity School Score advocacy instruments.

Jamie F. Chriqui, PhD, MHS, University of Illinois at Chicago

Jamie F. Chriqui, PhD, MHS is Professor of  Health Policy and Administration and Senior Research Scientist at the Institute for Health Research and Policy. She has over two decades' experience conducting public health policy research, evaluation, and analysis, with an emphasis on obesity, substance abuse, tobacco control, and other chronic disease-related policy issues. Her research interests focus on examining the impact of law and policy on practices, community environments, and individual behaviors/attitudes.

Amanda Wilson, MSRS, Active Living Research, webinar moderator

Amanda Wilson is Strategic Engagement & Project Manager for Active Living Research, where she focuses on providing credible and action-oriented research results that address the root causes of childhood obesity and physical inactivity. She offers ongoing technical assistance and training to researchers and practitioners and assists with the translation and dissemination of research results.

Note: Due to a technical glitch, the audio for this recording cuts in and out throughout the webinar. We apologize for this inconvenience.