Evaluating adult interaction during the Step It UP! game to increase physical activity in children

Human behavior plays a central role in all domains of public health. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) research and practice can contribute to public health solutions that directly address human behavior. In this paper, we describe the field of public health, identify points of interaction between public health and ABA, summarize what ABA research has already contributed, and provide several recommendations for how ABA research and practice could continue to promote public health outcomes. A clearer focus on behavior and widespread adoption of research designs and interventions informed by the ABA literature could lead to better public health outcomes. Reciprocally, better integration of public health goals and strategies into ABA research, harnessing of technology, and more collaboration would help diversify and disseminate our applied science and could yield more effective and scalable interventions to prevent and treat public health problems.

Section: Do More Of What We Are Doingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging applied behavior analysis research and practice in the service of public health

Normand

Dallery

Slanzi

2021

“…Overall, the results of the current study are consistent with previous research that used the Step it UP! Game to increase step counts (Galbraith & Normand, 2017;Nieto & Wiskow, 2020;Normand & Burji, 2020). However, some comparisons between the current study and Galbraith and Normand (2017) are worth mentioning.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…They will benefit from learning that physical activity does not need to be overwhelming or complicated and that they can easily incorporate it into their daily lives.Overall, the results of the current study are consistent with previous research that used the Step it UP! Game to increase step counts (Galbraith & Normand, 2017; Nieto & Wiskow, 2020; Normand & Burji, 2020). However, some comparisons between the current study and Galbraith and Normand (2017) are worth mentioning.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, the Step it UP! Game, a modified version of the GBG, has evaluated the effects of the intervention on physical activity levels of elementary school students (Galbraith & Normand, 2017; Nieto & Wiskow, 2020; Normand & Burji, 2020). Galbraith and Normand (2017) evaluated the Step it UP!…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Game compared to the typical physical education class (Normand & Burji, 2020). Recently, Nieto and Wiskow (2020) compared the effects of the regular Step it UP! Game in which attention is not explicitly programmed, to a version in which adult interaction was delivered contingent on children's physical activity level during recess.…”

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confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Step it UP! Game increases steps of adults with disabilities

Seward¹,

Redner²

2022

Engaging in regular physical activity has been shown to decrease the risk of health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Several studies have shown that physical activity is lower among individuals with neuro‐atypical developmental and intellectual disabilities as compared to neurotypical individuals. The current study evaluated the effects of the Step it UP! Game on the mean number of steps taken per minute with adults with disabilities. Participants were divided into 2 competing teams, and the team with the highest step count at the end of each session participated in a prize drawing. The Step it UP! Game was compared to baseline conditions using a multielement design. Mean step count increased from 24.35 steps per minute during baseline to 54.76 steps per minute during the intervention. All 10 participants took more steps during the Step it UP! Game.

Using a group game increases preschoolers' step count

Mercado Baez,

Elliott,

Ayres

2023

Children should engage in at least 60 min of physical activity daily to develop or maintain healthy habits (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021a). Previous research suggests that contingent attention is a powerful tool for increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity. In this study, the researchers examined the effects of a group game on steps per minute at recess in an inclusive classroom with preschoolers. The researcher taught the game called the T‐Rex game in which the game rules (chasing students who were moving) involved contingencies for natural attention to follow moderate to vigorous physical activity. The results showed a functional relation between step count and the group game in which students engaged in higher step counts when the group game was in place than during baseline. These findings extend other work by demonstrating that contingent attention embedded in group games can increase step count.