Analyzing Successful Participation in the First Lady's Let's Move! Initiative: A Collaboration Between Let's Move! Active Schools and the Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) Program

Obesity has been designated as a global epidemic by the World Health Organization since 1998. Over the past 30 years, the prevalence of this epidemic has increased by two-fold in adults and three-fold in children. Let's Move! Active Schools (LMAS) seeks to fight obesity and promote healthy environments in schools. In collaboration with the Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) program at Arizona State University, three elementary schools in the greater Phoenix area were studied to determine factors associated with success or barriers to implementation of LMAS. Interviews were conducted with three physical educators to determine: the initial appeal and reason the school was attracted to LMAS, how leadership buy-in and participation have affected the success of LMAS in each school, how the resources and support provided by LMAS have best ensured the success of LMAS in each school, what LMAS can do to ensured the sustainability and continued success of the initiative, and how each school has implemented the five core principals of the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP). Results of the interviews demonstrated that programs previously in place in the elementary school resembling LMAS aided in successful implementation as well as leadership buy-in and participation's positive effect on implementation. The resource most used by physical educators at the three elementary and district advocates and more local workshops were two of the resources requested by the physical educators. The five principals of CSPAP were found to be incorporated at each of the elementary schools. The principal at the award winning school was interviewed and expressed the value she saw in LMAS. Suggestions for more successful implementation of LMAS included targeting the administration, pushing the online material, clarifying the availability of local workshops, and promoting movement lab activities.