WWC Review of the Report “Evaluation of a Two-Year Middle-School Physical Education Intervention: M-SPAN”: What Works Clearinghouse

Report Details

Released:	February 2013
Grades Examined:	Middle School
Topic:	Student Behavior
Review Protocol:	Single Study Reviews

WWC Rating

Meets Evidence Standards without Reservations

Handy Definitions

A review of an individual study that includes the WWC’s assessment of the quality of the research design and technical details about the study’s design and findings.

The result of the WWC assessment of a study.

The highest possible rating for a study reviewed by the WWC.

The middle possible rating for a study reviewed by the WWC.

A study with a low level of causal evidence.

Download Review (207 KB)

What is this study about?

The study examined the effect of the Middle School Physical Activity and Nutrition (M-SPAN) intervention on the physical activity level of middle school students. Study authors randomly assigned schools to receive the M-SPAN intervention or to serve as a comparison condition. To assess students’ physical activity levels, researchers observed students in physical education classes on 11 randomly selected days for each school throughout the 2-year study period.

What did the study find?

The study found that the M-SPAN intervention caused a statistically significant improvement in the amount of time students spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and the WWC confirms this study-level finding.

Citation

McKenzie, T. L., Sallis, J. F., Prochaska, J. J., Conway, T. L., Marshall, S. J., & Rosengard, P. (2004). Evaluation of a two-year middle-school physical education intervention: M-SPAN. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 36(8),1382–1388.