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Active Classrooms: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Effects of a Movement Integration Intervention on the Physical Activity Levels of Primary School Children

Rosemarie Martin and Elaine Murtagh

Background:

A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the Active Classrooms intervention, which integrates movement into academic lessons, on the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels (MVPA) of primary school children during class-time and throughout the school day.

Methods:

Ten classroom teachers and their students aged 8 to 12 years were recruited and randomized into the Active Classrooms intervention group (n = 131students, n = 5teachers) or a delayed-treatment controlled group (n = 117students, n = 5teachers). The intervention group participated in active academic lessons taught by the classroom teacher over an 8 week period. Accelerometers were used to gather physical activity data at baseline, postintervention and at 4 months follow-up. Teachers completed a questionnaire to evaluate the program.

Results:

A significant difference for change in daily class time MVPA levels was identified between the treatment (n = 95) and control (n = 91) groups from pre- to postintervention (P < .001) and this difference was maintained at follow-up (P < .001). No significant difference emerged between the treatment and control groups for change in school day MVPA levels from pre- to postintervention (P = .52) or follow-up (P = .09). Teachers reported that they were highly satisfied with the program.

Conclusions:

Movement integration has the potential to improve physical activity levels of primary school children in the classroom.

Cover Journal of Physical Activity and Health

In Journal of Physical Activity and Health Volume 14 (2017): Issue 4 (Apr 2017)

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Physical, Policy, and Sociocultural Characteristics of the Primary School Environment are Positively Associated With Children’s Physical Activity During Class Time

Karen Martin, Alexandra Bremner, Jo Salmon, Michael Rosenberg, and Billie Giles-Corti

Background:

The objective of this study was to develop a multidomain model to identify key characteristics of the primary school environment associated with children’s physical activity (PA) during class-time.

Methods:

Accelerometers were used to calculate time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during class-time (CMVPA) of 408 sixth-grade children (mean ± SD age 11.1 ± 0.43 years) attending 27 metropolitan primary schools in Perth Western Australia. Child and staff self-report instruments and a school physical environment scan administered by the research team were used to collect data about children and the class and school environments. Hierarchical modeling identified key variables associated with CMVPA.

Results:

The final multilevel model explained 49% of CMVPA. A physically active physical education (PE) coordinator, fitness sessions incorporated into PE sessions and either a trained PE specialist, classroom teacher or nobody coordinating PE in the school, rather than the deputy principal, were associated with higher CMVPA. The amount of grassed area per student and sporting apparatus on grass were also associated with higher CMVPA.

Conclusion:

These results highlight the relevance of the school’s sociocultural, policy and physical environments in supporting class-based PA. Interventions testing optimization of the school physical, sociocultural and policy environments to support physical activity are warranted.

Cover Journal of Physical Activity and Health

In Journal of Physical Activity and Health Volume 11 (2014): Issue 3 (Mar 2014)

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Proposal for an Enhanced Physical Education Program in the Primary School: Evaluation of Feasibility and Effectiveness in Improving Physical Skills and Fitness

Laura Dallolio, Andrea Ceciliani, Tiziana Sanna, Andrea Garulli, and Erica Leoni

Background:

A large proportion of children do not reach the recommended levels of physical activity for health. A quasiexperimental study with nonrandom assignment was performed to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of a school-based physical education intervention aimed at increasing the levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

Methods:

Ten classes from 4 primary schools, including 241 children aged 8 to 10 years, were recruited. The experimental group (n = 97) received 4 additional sessions/week of 60 minutes of MVPA for 8 months. The control group (n = 135) continued their standard program (2 sessions of 50 minutes/week). Motor abilities (standing long jump, handgrip strength, Harre circuit, sit and reach), physical fitness (Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level-1), anthropometric measures (body mass index, waist to height ratio), and self-efficacy (Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children) were evaluated at baseline and after the intervention.

Results:

The experimental group significantly improved in the Harre circuit both in males (P < .001) and females (P < .01), whereas physical fitness test improved only in males (P < .001). Males in the experimental group improved the perception of self-efficacy in coordinative abilities (P = .017).

Conclusions:

The proposed school-based MVPA program showed effectiveness and feasibility. The differences observed by gender highlight the need to use different strategies to increase the involvement of all the participants.

Cover Journal of Physical Activity and Health

In Journal of Physical Activity and Health Volume 13 (2016): Issue 10 (Oct 2016)

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Findings From the EASY Minds Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial: Evaluation of a Physical Activity Integration Program for Mathematics in Primary Schools

Nicholas Riley, David R. Lubans, Kathryn Holmes, and Philip J Morgan

Background:

To evaluate the impact of a primary school-based physical activity (PA) integration program delivered by teachers on objectively measured PA and key educational outcomes.

Methods:

Ten classes from 8 Australian public schools were randomly allocated to treatment conditions. Teachers from the intervention group were taught to embed movement-based learning in their students’ (n = 142) daily mathematics program in 3 lessons per week for 6 weeks. The control group (n = 98) continued its regular mathematics program. The primary outcome was accelerometer-determined PA across the school day. Linear mixed models were used to analyze treatment effects.

Results:

Significant intervention effects were found for PA across the school day (adjusted mean difference 103 counts per minute [CPM], 95% confidence interval [CI], 36.5–169.7, P = .008). Intervention effects were also found for PA (168 CPM, 95% CI, 90.1–247.4, P = .008) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (2.6%, 95% CI, 0.9–4.4, P = .009) in mathematics lessons, sedentary time across the school day (–3.5%, 95% CI, –7.0 to –0.13, P = .044) and during mathematics (–8.2%, CI, –13.0 to –2.0, P = .010) and on-task behavior (13.8%, 95% CI, 4.0–23.6, P = .011)—but not for mathematics performance or attitude.

Conclusion:

Integrating movement across the primary mathematics syllabus is feasible and efficacious.

Cover Journal of Physical Activity and Health

In Journal of Physical Activity and Health Volume 13 (2016): Issue 2 (Feb 2016)

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Young Children’s After-School Activities—There’s More to It Than Screen Time: A Cross-Sectional Study of Young Primary School Children

Lina Engelen, Anita C Bundy, Adrian Bauman, Geraldine Naughton, Shirley Wyver, and Louise Baur

Background:

Children can spend substantial amounts of leisure time in sedentary activities, dominated by TV/screen time. However, objective real-time measurement of activities after school among young school children is seldom described.

Methods:

School children (n = 246, 5−7 years old, mean 6.0) and their parents were recruited by random selection from 14 schools across Sydney, Australia. Parents used a real-time objective measure (Experience Sampling Method, ESM) to record children’s activities and whether they were indoors or outdoors at 3 random times each day after school. Data were collected across 4 weekdays in 1 week and then, 13 weeks later, another 4 weekdays in 1 week.

Results:

Results were based on 2940 responses from 214 childparent dyads showed that 25% of behavior involved physical activity, 51% was spent in sedentary activities, and 22% was TV/ screen time. Most instances (81%) occurred indoors.

Conclusion:

Despite a high proportion of TV/screen time, children were also engaged in a range of other sedentary and physically active pursuits after school. Hence TV/screen time is not a suitable proxy for all sedentary behavior, and it is important to gather information on other non–screen-based sedentary and physically active behaviors. Future research is warranted to further investigate after-school activities in young primary school children.

Cover Journal of Physical Activity and Health

In Journal of Physical Activity and Health Volume 12 (2015): Issue 1 (Jan 2015)

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Developing Interventions for Children’s Exercise (DICE): A Pilot Evaluation of School-Based Exercise Interventions for Primary School Children Aged 7 to 8 Years

Karen Hind, David Torgerson, Jim McKenna, Rebecca Ashby, Andy Daly-Smith, John Truscott, Heather MacKay, and Andrew Jennings

Background:

Developing Interventions for Children’s Exercise (DICE) is an initiative aimed at determining effective schoolbased exercise programs. To assess feasibility, we conducted a pilot study of exercise sessions which varied in duration and frequency.

Methods:

Exercise interventions were delivered to Year 3 pupils (age 7–8 years; n = 73) in primary schools within Yorkshire, UK. Evaluations were conducted using focus group sessions, questionnaires and observations.

Results:

The study revealed positive aspects of all interventions, including favorable effects on children’s concentration during lessons and identified the value of incorporation of the DICE concept into curriculum lessons. Children appeared enthused and reported well-being and enjoyment. Areas requiring attention were the need for appropriate timetabling of sessions and ensuring the availability of space.

Conclusion:

The concept and sessions were well-accepted by teachers who confirmed their full support of any future implementation There appears to be potential for the encouragement and empowerment of teachers to support physical activity and healthy school environments, and to take an interest in the health of their pupils. Ultimately, these findings should assist in the design of successful exercise interventions in the school setting.

Cover Journal of Physical Activity and Health

In Journal of Physical Activity and Health Volume 11 (2014): Issue 4 (May 2014)

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Cognitively Engaging Chronic Physical Activity, But Not Aerobic Exercise, Affects Executive Functions in Primary School Children: A Group-Randomized Controlled Trial

Mirko Schmidt, Katja Jäger, Fabienne Egger, Claudia M. Roebers, and Achim Conzelmann

Although the positive effects of different kinds of physical activity (PA) on cognitive functioning have already been demonstrated in a variety of studies, the role of cognitive engagement in promoting children’s executive functions is still unclear. The aim of the current study was therefore to investigate the effects of two qualitatively different chronic PA interventions on executive functions in primary school children. Children (N = 181) aged between 10 and 12 years were assigned to either a 6-week physical education program with a high level of physical exertion and high cognitive engagement (team games), a physical education program with high physical exertion but low cognitive engagement (aerobic exercise), or to a physical education program with both low physical exertion and low cognitive engagement (control condition). Executive functions (updating, inhibition, shifting) and aerobic fitness (multistage 20-m shuttle run test) were measured before and after the respective condition. Results revealed that both interventions (team games and aerobic exercise) have a positive impact on children’s aerobic fitness (4–5% increase in estimated VO2max). Importantly, an improvement in shifting performance was found only in the team games and not in the aerobic exercise or control condition. Thus, the inclusion of cognitive engagement in PA seems to be the most promising type of chronic intervention to enhance executive functions in children, providing further evidence for the importance of the qualitative aspects of PA.

Cover Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

In Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology Volume 37 (2015): Issue 6 (Jan 2015)

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Erratum. Gender Differences in Students’ Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity Levels During Primary School Physical Education Lessons: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Journal of Teaching in Physical Education

TO OUR READERS: An error appeared in the ahead-of-print version of the following article: Arenas, D., Vidal-Conti, J., & Muntaner-Mas, A. (2024). Gender differences in students’ moderate to vigorous physical activity levels during primary school physical education lessons: A systematic review and

Cover Journal of Teaching in Physical Education

In Journal of Teaching in Physical Education Volume 43 (2024): Issue 4 (Oct 2024)

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Temporal Trends of Compliance With School-Based Physical Activity Recommendations Among Spanish Children, 2011–2018

Alberto Grao-Cruces, Julio Conde-Caveda, Magdalena Cuenca-García, Román Nuviala, Alejandro Pérez-Bey, Fátima Martín-Acosta, and José Castro-Piñero

calculated by extracting these specific periods using schedules provided by each school. In the majority of Spanish primary schools, school hours are 300 minutes, and every school has at least one daily recess ranging from 20 to 45 minutes, typically of 30 minutes. The cut points designed by the HELENA study

Cover Journal of Physical Activity and Health

In Journal of Physical Activity and Health Volume 17 (2020): Issue 7 (Jul 2020)

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Practical Considerations for Coaching Athletes With Learning Disabilities and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Rhys J. Thurston, Danielle M. Alexander, and Mathieu Michaud

more inclusive, productive, and safer environment for all. Author Biographies Rhys Thurston works in education, sports coaching and sports recruiting. He currently has duel roles at East Victoria Park Primary School, is part of the Geelong Football Club recruiting team, and provides ongoing consultancy

Cover International Sport Coaching Journal

In International Sport Coaching Journal Volume 9 (2022): Issue 2 (May 2022)