Long-term implementation of the CATCH physical education program

Abstract

To test the effectiveness of the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) program, a randomized trial was conducted in 96 elementary schools in four regions of the United States. Results from the original trial indicated a significant positive effect on the delivery of physical education (PE). All 56 former intervention schools (FI), 20 randomly selected former control schools (FC), and 12 newly selected unexposed control schools (UC) were assessed 5 years postintervention. Results indicate a strong secular trend of increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in PE classes among both FC and UC schools. The FI schools surpassed the Healthy People 2010 goal for MVPA during PE lesson time (i.e., 50%), whereas the FC and UC schools came close to it. Barriers to implementing CATCH PE included insufficient training and lower importance of PE compared to other academic areas and indicate the need for in-service training.