Jeffrey Martin, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology, health, and sport studies in the College of Education recently received $96,464 from the Kellogg Foundation to study the factors that motivate adolescents to live a healthier lifestyle.

The award is a portion of the total $5 million in funding from Kellogg for Generation with Promise, a health intervention program led by the Michigan surgeon general and taking place in 16 Michigan middle schools located in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Pontiac and Benton Harbor - all designated "Cities of Promise" by Governor Granholm. The goal of the program is to shift the culture of the schools to incorporate healthy living and physical activity as a part of daily life with the intent that positive changes will spread to the larger community.
Data obtained from the program will enrich Martin's previous research on the psychological and social factors that make adolescents more likely to be physically fit. "We're trying to determine what influences kids to be more active," Martin said. "Are their parents more supportive? Are their classmates more encouraging? Do they enjoy it more? Do they feel that the culture of their school is more supportive of physical activity?"

For the last decade, Martin has investigated these questions, particularly in relation to minority students in urban areas. What he has found is a growing body of evidence suggesting that physical activity-friendly environments are the easiest and most effective way to motivate healthy living.

"A lot of psychologists focus on people's attitudes; their confidence and their levels of enjoyment, and certainly those factors are related to physical activity," Martin said. "But if you have a person who has always been sedentary, it's going to be hard to change how they think. On the other hand, if you have converted an old railroad bed that's right outside their door into a walking path, then they don't need to be as motivated as they would need to be to drive to a health club."

The majority of the program's $5 million in funding went to doing just that - making the environment of the schools more healthy and physical activity-friendly. The schools created various action teams - a combination of students, parents, teachers, leaders of community sports and exercise organizations - that would brainstorm how to make their schools healthier. "We created the teams because we're not just trying to change the schools, we're trying to enlist the support of the community," Martin said.

Improvements included changing storage rooms to mini-fitness facilities, replacing vending machines with salad bars, or simply purchasing much-needed PE equipment. In addition, the schools' PE teachers received training on diversifying the sports played in their classes, shifting from the traditionally heavy focus on competitive team sports to a broader mix that includes cooperative games, dance and individual sports. By diversifying the types of sports played, Martin and his collaborators hope for an increase in the number of students who enjoy and excel in physical activity.

"If we can get the children to regard living a healthy lifestyle as part of their identity, and if those children can also have a positive influence on their brothers and sisters, their peers and even their parents as they move forward and become young adults, then we will know the project has been a success," Martin said.