UTH

Active Middle School Communities Project

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The UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Austin and UT Austin College of Education are collaborating on the Active Middle School Communities project focused on understanding barriers and improving opportunities for physical activity in select low-income neighborhoods in Austin. Ultimately, we seek to co-create and test strategies that promote active living among children, families, and the broader community.

Six (6) middle schools (Marshall, Lively, Bedichek, Covington, Paredes, and Dessau) will receive $25,000 each for a community improvement project (e.g., walking/biking programs, safety enhancements).

Intervention

Three (3) of the schools—Covington, Marshall, and Paredes—are currently (2025–2028) working within intergenerational committees to co-design projects that make it easier and more fun to walk, bike, and be active in school neighborhoods. Committees are made up of parents, students, school staff, and neighbors. For more information visit https://sites.google.com/uth.edu/activemiddleschools 

Evaluation

Both intervention and comparison schools will take part in the data collection so we can assess the impact of the intervention projects on the communities. During the Spring of 2026 we are recruiting 6th Grade families who live within the school attendance boundary to participate.

Students who will participate:

  • Receive a $50 gift card

  • Wear a small activity monitor belt for 7 days

  • Complete a short survey at school

Parents who participate will:

  • Receive a $50 gift card

  • Complete a short survey (online)

Consent form to sign up for the AMSC research study: https://redcap.link/amsc-cohort

Parent Information Sessions

The research team will be hosting virtual and in-person info sessions. Check back for future dates/times.

Thursday March 12, 6-6:30pm https://uthealth.zoomgov.com/j/1603915675

Fact sheet and GPS Myth versus Fact coming soon!

Questions? Contact the project manager, Sarah Bentley - [email protected] - (512) 482-6152

La Escuela de Salud Pública de UTHealth Houston en Austin y la Facultad de Educación de UT Austin están colaborando en el proyecto Active Middle School Communities, enfocado en comprender las barreras y mejorar las oportunidades para la actividad física en vecindarios seleccionados de bajos ingresos en Austin. En última instancia, buscamos co-crear y evaluar estrategias que promuevan la vida activa entre los niños, las familias y la comunidad en general.

Seis (6) escuelas secundarias (Marshall, Lively, Bedichek, Covington, Paredes y Dessau) recibirán $25,000 cada una para un proyecto de mejora comunitaria (ej., programas de caminata/ciclismo, mejoras de seguridad, etc.,).

Intervención

Tres (3) de las escuelas —Convington, Marshall y Paredes— actualmente (2025–2028) están trabajando dentro de comités intergeneracionales para co-diseñar proyectos que faciliten y hagan más divertido caminar, andar en bicicleta y mantenerse activos en los vecindarios escolares. Los comités están compuestos por padres, estudiantes, personal escolar y vecinos. Para más información visite: https://sites.google.com/uth.edu/activemiddleschools 

Evaluación

Tanto las escuelas de intervención como las escuelas de comparación participarán en la recolección de datos para que podamos evaluar el impacto de los proyectos de intervención en las comunidades. Durante la primavera de 2026 estaremos reclutando familias de 6º grado que vivan dentro del límite de asistencia escolar para participar.

Los estudiantes que participen:

  • Recibirán una tarjeta de regalo de $50

  • Usaran un pequeño monitor de actividad en el cinturón por 7 días

  • Completaran una encuesta corta en la escuela

Los padres que participen:

  • Recibirán una tarjeta de regalo de $50

  • Completaran una encuesta corta (en línea)

Formulario de consentimiento para inscribirse en el estudio de investigación AMSC: https://redcap.link/amsc-cohort  

Sesiones informativas para padres

El equipo de investigación organizara sesiones informativas virtuales y presenciales. Consulte más adelante para futuras fechas y horarios.

Jueves 12 de marzo, 6-6:30pm https://uthealth.zoomgov.com/j/1603915675

Próximamente hoja informativa y documento “GPS: ¡Mito vs Realidad!

¿Preguntas? Comuníquese con la directora del proyecto, Sarah Bentley – [email protected] – (512) 482-6152

In collaboration with The University of Texas at Austin College of Education, “Co-Creating and Implementing Contextually Responsive Physical Activity Interventions with Low-Income Adolescents” also known as the “Active Middle School Communities Project” is a comprehensive and community-engaged mixed methods study to design and test strategies for improving community-wide and individual-level physical activity outcomes in middle school neighborhoods.

Purpose of the Study

  • Physical inactivity is a public health crisis and a major contributor to chronic disease.
  • We are conducting a comprehensive, community-engaged study to design and test strategies for improving individual-level and community-wide physical activity outcomes in middle school communities.

Goals

  1. To identify community-level barriers and facilitators for physical activity in urban middle school communities
  2. To engage multi-sectoral and multi-generational community actors for co-creating contextually-responsive intervention strategies to improve access to active transport and leisure in urban middle school communities.
  3. To evaluate the effectiveness of the co-created intervention strategies for improving physical activity outcomes in urban middle school communities.

Funder

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

For more information, see the press release about the $5mil NIH Grant: https://www.uth.edu/news/story/physical-activity-intervention-strategies-in-low-income-communities-funded-by-a-5m-nih-grant-for-collaborative-research-at-uthealth-houston-and-the-university-of-texas-at-austin

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