2011 Survey Results

The Results Are In – Fuel Up to Play 60 Is Going Strong

In Spring 2011, we asked Fuel Up to Play 60 users how the program is going in their schools. Fuel Up to Play 60 is now in over 70,000 schools nationwide – and more than 10,000 schools responded to our call for input! This feedback is crucial because that’s how Fuel Up to Play 60 improves – with suggestions from users like you. Here’s a quick snapshot of what you told us.

• Three out of four Fuel Up to Play 60 schools are actively promoting the program and its key messages about healthy eating and physical activity to students, staff and administrators – hanging posters, using program resources, creating and sharing Challenge entries and building awareness of the program. That’s great news! Positive messages reinforce positive behaviors and can help to influence students’ healthy choices.
• Nearly half of Fuel Up to Play 60 schools have completed a Healthy Eating Play or a Physical Activity Play – and many schools have completed both types of Plays. The most popular Healthy Eating Plays were "Grab-n-Go Breakfast," "Drink Milk and Recycle," "Taste Test Days," and "Menu Makeover." The most popular Physical Activity Plays were "Pre-Class Lap Run," "School-Wide Walk It! Club," "After-School Fun "Fitness Activities," "Make a Case for Quality P.E." and "In-Class Physical Activity Breaks." Also encouraging is the percentage of schools - 36% for Healthy Eating Plays and 47% for Physical Activity Plays - that keep the Plays going for the entire school year or on an ongoing basis. These schools understand that Plays should not be a one-time event but instead should help schools focus on sustainable, long-term change.
• One in five students is actively involved with the program in Fuel Up to Play 60 schools. From planning Plays to participating in program activities, over 7.5 million students nationwide are helping to activate the program. This ranges from schools where few students are involved (and where the program is primarily led by adults) to schools where all students are involved. Student involvement is key: in schools where more students are involved, there is greater activation of Fuel Up to Play 60 and a greater perception of positive change occurring.
• The majority of respondents perceive positive changes in the nutrition and physical activity environment, student behavior and overall support for school wellness efforts. And importantly, schools that report these positive changes tend to be schools that are going further with the program – longer duration of Plays, more student involvement, at least one adult serving as Program Advisor. The message is clear: a fully activated Fuel Up to Play 60 program can help build wellness in your school.
  • Nearly two-thirds agree that Fuel Up to Play 60 is helping students make healthier food choices, and almost half agree that the program is helping to increase access to healthy foods at their schools.
  • The majority agree that Fuel Up to Play 60 is helping to increase the amount of time students are physically active and that the program is increasing opportunities for students to be physically active before, during and after school.
  • Almost two-thirds agree that Fuel Up to Play 60 positively influences the school environment, and more than half agree that Fuel Up to Play 60 is helping to strengthen overall support for school wellness practices.
• Nearly 90% of schools report that they’re implementing Fuel Up to Play 60 with other local and national school wellness initiatives. Fuel Up to Play 60 is complementing and even adding momentum to other school wellness programs. To learn more about how Fuel Up to Play 60 can work hand in hand with other programs, watch this Training Camp Clip – a short video that showcases three schools that are pairing Fuel Up to Play 60 with other school wellness initiatives.
• So what’s keeping schools from going farther? In addition to the common problems of not enough time, not enough money and competing academic priorities, some users report that they need help knowing how to implement Fuel Up to Play 60 and that they need to find more ways to spark the interest of staff throughout their schools. We’re responding by continually adding tools and resources to make it easier than ever to activate the program and share the word with staff and administrators in your school.

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