Addressing Barriers to Physical Activity in Inner-City Schoolchildren With Asthma

Addressing Barriers to Physical Activity in Inner-City Schoolchildren With Asthma

This proposal will address the existent gaps in the literature by identifying barriers and facilitators to participation in physical activity in inner-city minority elementary schoolchildren with asthma, more that half of whom are also overweight; developing and refining a school-based intervention in partnership with the community to improve physical activity; and conducting a pilot randomized controlled trial of the intervention to determine feasibility and obtain preliminary data for a future large-scale trial.

Four schools have been recruited for pilot wait-listed cluster randomized clinical trial to determine feasibility for a large-scaled trial. Community-based participatory research approach was utilized to develop an intervention that will be delivered to two schools. Two control schools will receive intervention during year 2 of the study.

Inclusion Criteria:

• children with active asthma attending 2nd-4th grades in Bronx

Exclusion Criteria:

• other medical conditions preventing participation in physical activity