Controlled evaluation of a physical activity intervention for senior school students: effects of the lifetime activity program

This study describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a struc­tured physical activity intervention designed for high school students (years 11 and 12). A sample of 78 students was randomly allocated to control or interven­tion conditions for a period of ten weeks. Students in the control group (n = 40) participated in unstructured physical activity in a health and fitness center. Students in the intervention group (n = 38) participated in a ten-week structured health and exercise program based on Bandura's social learning theories. At the initial posttest, a number of statistically significant group differences were found using analysis of covariance. The intervention group reported more physical activity and improved exercise self-efficacy in comparison to the control group. At the 3-month follow-up, no statistically significant differences in physical activity were found. Results from this study suggest that a well-organized exercise-based program can be effective in increasing physical activity behavior of adolescents on a short-term basis.