School-Based Psychosocial Intervention Promoting Fitness Efficacy

Society has systematically removed opportunities for §daily physical activity, also evident in schools. §Inactivity among children is a contributing factor §for the increasing trend of obesity and likelihood §of developing health problems as adults. Promoting §physical activity is vital because a physically §active lifestyle adopted early in life is more §likely to be continued in adulthood. The current §book is focused on the conceptualization, §development, and implementation of a School-Based §Healthy Activity Program for Exercise (SHAPE) §targeting high school students. Schools are §efficient vehicles for providing physical activity §and fitness instruction by reaching most children. §The SHAPE intervention was implemented and embedded §in a school s Physical Education Curriculum aiming §to improve health, self-esteem and confidence of all§students participating in physical education. The §book seeks to address the problem of poor health and §fitness of secondary school students and to test a §youth physical education program that would lead to §adoption and maintenance of a physically active §lifestyle consistent with current health and fitness §guidelines