Evaluating the Implementation and Effectiveness of the SWITCH–MS: An Ecological, Multi-Component Adolescent Obesity Prevention Intervention

Senlin Chen, Richard R. Rosenkranz, Gabriella M. McLoughlin, Spyridoula Vazou, Lorraine Lanningham-Foster, Douglas A. Gentile and David A. Dzewaltowski
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Senlin Chen: School of Kinesiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Richard R. Rosenkranz: Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics, & Health, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Gabriella M. McLoughlin: College of Human Sciences and Education, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Spyridoula Vazou: College of Human Sciences and Education, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Lorraine Lanningham-Foster: College of Human Sciences and Education, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Douglas A. Gentile: College of Human Sciences and Education, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
David A. Dzewaltowski: University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 69198, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: Background : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of an ecological, multi-component adolescent obesity prevention intervention called School Wellness Integration Targeting Child Health–Middle School (SWITCH–MS). Methods : Following the effectiveness-implementation hybrid type 3 quasi-experimental design, seven middle schools (377 students) in Iowa, United States, were stratified into “experienced” ( n = 3; 110 students) or “inexperienced” ( n = 4; 267 students) groups to receive the 12-week SWITCH–MS intervention. To evaluate implementation, school informants ( n = 10) responded to a survey and students completed behavioral tracking in the classroom on a website. For effectiveness evaluation, students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades completed a validated questionnaire before and after intervention, to measure behaviors of physical activity (PA; “Do”), screen-based activity (“View”), and fruits and vegetable consumption (“Chew”). Results : The two groups of schools showed similar levels of implementation for best practices, awareness, and engagement. Behavioral tracking rate favored the experienced schools early on (47.5% vs. 11.7%), but differences leveled off in weeks 3–12 (sustained at 30.1–44.3%). Linear mixed models demonstrated significant time effects for “Do” (at school and out of school; p < 0.01) and “View” behaviors ( p = 0.02), after controlling for student- and school-level covariates. Conclusions : This study demonstrates that prior experience with SWITCH–MS may not be a prominent factor for implementation and effectiveness, although greater experience is associated with favorable behavioral tracking when the intervention is first launched.

Keywords: healthy-living behaviors; implementation science; obesity prevention; program evaluation; school wellness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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