Convenience sampling 24 based on geographical proximity was used to recruit classroom teachers from 1 primary school (27.7% poverty, 75% white) in a suburban town (∼23,000 population, 6.2% poverty rate, $86,000 median household income) in the Western United States. Prior to data collection, study approval
Search Results
Effects of Sharing Data With Teachers on Student Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in the Classroom
Katie L. Hodgin, Lauren von Klinggraeff, Brian Dauenhauer, Jaimie M. McMullen, Ann Pulling Kuhn, Peter Stoepker, and Russell L. Carson
Gender Differences in Caregivers’ Attitudes to Risky Child Play in Britain: A Cross-Sectional Study
Andrea D. Smith, Helen F. Dodd, Luiza Ricardo, and Esther van Sluijs
.6% of 10- to 11-year-olds in England were living with overweight or obesity with prevalence increasing with age. 7 Physical activity levels in primary-school aged children also are suboptimal in the United Kingdom, with just under half of all children and young people (47.2%) meeting the recommended
Developing Movement Efficiency Between 7 and 9 Years of Age
Ida Maria Bosga-Stork, Jurjen Bosga, and Ruud G.J. Meulenbroek
This longitudinal study examined the movement efficiency of typically developing children between 7 and 9 years of age by scrutinizing their movement amplitudes and frequencies as they settled into a loop-writing task in which both parameters were prescribed. It was hypothesized that during the first three grades at primary school children would show increasing efficiency in exploiting the inverse relationship between movement amplitude and frequency when adjusting their movement errors. Whereas a clear developmental trend showed increasing efficiency with respect to the way in which the primary school children met the amplitude constraints, a more variable pattern was found for the age-dependent adjustments to the frequency requirements. At the level of parameter-error corrections from one cycle to the next, a marginal developmental trend was observed. Results are discussed in terms of contrasting effects between educational targets and movement-efficiency principles.
Curricular Physical Activity and Academic Performance
Roy J. Shephard
Advocates of quality daily physical education for prepubescent children frequently encounter the argument that such initiatives will harm academic progress. The impact of daily physical education upon the academic performance of primary school students is thus reviewed with particular reference to studies conducted in Vanves (France), Australia, and Trois Rivières (Québec). When a substantial proportion of curricular time (14–26%) is allocated to physical activity, learning seems to proceed more rapidly per unit of classroom time, so that academic performance matches, and may even exceed, that of control students. Children receiving additional physical education show an acceleration of their psychomotor development, and this could provide a mechanism for accelerated learning of academic skills. Other potential mechanisms include increased cerebral blood flow, greater arousal, changes in hormone levels, enhanced nutrient intake, changes in body build, and increased self esteem. Academic teachers may also favor the enhanced physical education program, creating “halo” effects, and the resulting release time may enhance their academic teaching. Irrespective of mechanisms, the implication for public policy is that daily required physical education can be introduced when a child enters primary school without compromising academic development. Given the importance of establishing positive health habits from an early age, school boards should be encouraged to follow a policy of required daily physical activity in primary schools. Evidence of specific benefit in students with learning disabilities remains less convincing.
Interrater Reliability of the ENERGY Photo-Rating Instrument for School Environments Related to Physical Activity and Eating
Teatske Altenburg, Saskia te Velde, Kai-Jan Chiu, George Moschonis, Yannis Manios, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Frøydis N. Vik, Nanna Lien, Johannes Brug, and Mai Chinapaw
Background:
The school environment can play an important role in the prevention of childhood overweight and obesity. Photos of the school environment may contribute to more adequate measurement of the school environment, as photos can be rated by different assessors. We aimed to examine the interrater reliability for rating characteristics of primary school environments related to physical activity and eating.
Methods:
Photos taken at 172 primary schools in 7 European countries were rated according to a standardized protocol. Briefly, after categorizing all photos in subsections of physical activity or eating opportunities, 2 researchers independently rated aspects of safety, functionality, aesthetics, type of food/drinks advertised, type/variety of foods provided. Interrater reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cohen’s kappa.
Results:
Six subsections of the photo-rating instrument showed excellent (ICC or Cohen’s kappa ≥0.81) or good (ICC or Cohen’s kappa 0.61 to 0.80) interrater reliability. Outdoor physical activity facilities (ICC = 0.54) showed moderate, and school canteens (Cohen’s kappa = 0.05) and vending machines showed poor (Cohen’s kappa = 0.16) interrater reliability.
Conclusion:
Interrater reliability of the ENERGY (EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth) photo-rating instrument was good-to-excellent for 6 out of 9 characteristics of primary school environment components related to physical activity and eating.
The Effects of Self-Talk on Dominant and Nondominant Arm Performance on a Handball Task in Primary Physical Education Students
Nikos Zourbanos, Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis, Dimitris Bardas, and Yannis Theodorakis
The present study examined the effects of instructional and motivational self-talk on handball performance using a novel task (nondominant arm) and a learned task (dominant arm) in primary school students. Participants were randomly assigned into two experimental groups (instructional and motivational) and one control group. The results revealed that for both tasks instructional and motivational self-talk groups improved their performance significantly in comparison with the control group and that for the nondominant arm instructional self-talk had a larger effect compared with motivational self-talk. The results suggest that instructional self-talk in the form of external focused cues may be more beneficial in the early stages of learning.
Physical Activity during School Recess: The Liverpool Sporting Playgrounds Project
Nicola D. Ridgers and Gareth Stratton
Recess offers primary school age children the opportunity to engage in physical activity, though few studies have detailed the physical activity levels of children in this environment. The physical activity levels of 270 children ages 6-11 years from 18 schools were monitored on 1 school day using heart rate telemetry. Data revealed that boys engaged in higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) than did girls during recess (26 and 20 min, respectively). These results suggest that recess can make a worthwhile contribution to the recommended 60 min of MVPA per day.
A Qualitative Examination of Factors Related to the Decrease in Physical Activity Behavior in Adolescent Girls During the Transition From Primary to Secondary School
Ann-Marie Knowles, Ailsa Niven, and Samantha Fawkner
Background:
Quantitative research has suggested that the decline in physical activity levels for adolescent girls is most marked during the transition from primary school to secondary school yet understanding the contributing factors for this decline may be advanced through qualitative research methods to gain an individual perspective of the girls’ school transition experience.
Methods:
This study explored factors related to the decrease in physical activity behavior in 14 adolescent girls (mean age = 13.6 ± 0.3 years) during the transition between primary and secondary school through the use of narrative interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Results:
The findings suggested that a change in the environment was central to understanding the decline in physical activity levels since primary school.
Conclusions:
During secondary school, a positive environment can be created by ensuring a choice of activities in Physical Education lessons; allowing a girls-only environment, to reduce the focus on competence and competition, and recognizing the importance of social support. These could enhance self-perceptions, reduce self-presentational concerns, increase enjoyment, and subsequently reduce the decrease in physical activity behavior during this key transitional period.
Effects of a Cognitively Demanding Aerobic Intervention During Recess on Children’s Physical Fitness and Executive Functioning
Anneke G. van der Niet, Joanne Smith, Jaap Oosterlaan, Erik J.A. Scherder, Esther Hartman, and Chris Visscher
The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of a physical activity program including both aerobic exercise and cognitively engaging physical activities on children’s physical fitness and executive functions. Children from 3 primary schools (aged 8–12 years) were recruited. A quasi-experimental design was used. Children in the intervention group (n = 53; 19 boys, 34 girls) participated in a 22-week physical activity program for 30 min during lunch recess, twice a week. Children in the control group (n = 52; 32 boys, 20 girls) followed their normal lunch routine. Aerobic fitness, speed and agility, and muscle strength were assessed using the Eurofit test battery. Executive functions were assessed using tasks measuring inhibition (Stroop test), working memory (Visual Memory Span test, Digit Span test), cognitive flexibility (Trailmaking test), and planning (Tower of London). Children in the intervention group showed significantly greater improvement than children in the control group on the Stroop test and Digit Span test, reflecting enhanced inhibition and verbal working memory skills, respectively. No differences were found on any of the physical fitness variables. A physical activity program including aerobic exercise and cognitively engaging physical activities can enhance aspects of executive functioning in primary school children.
Contribution of Walking to School to Individual and Population Moderate-Vigorous Intensity Physical Activity: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Anne Martin, Paul Kelly, Jessica Boyle, Fenella Corlett, and John J. Reilly
Purpose:
This study estimated the contribution of walking to/from school to objectively measured daily moderate-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) in individuals and populations.
Methods:
MEDLINE, PsycINFO and SPORTDiscus were systematically searched up to February 2015. Two reviewers independently screened titles/abstracts/full-text articles, and assessed study quality.
Results:
Of 2430 records, 129 were eligible for full-text screening. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria of reporting objectively obtained measures of MVPA (total and while walking to/from school) in children and adolescents. The weighted mean MVPA accumulated in walking to and from school was 17 min/day in primary school pupils (9 samples, n = 3422) and 13 min/day in high school pupils (4 samples, n = 2600). Pooled analysis suggested that walking to and from school contributed 23% and 36% of MVPA on schooldays in primary school age children and high school pupils, respectively. All included studies were of high methodological quality.
Conclusions:
Walking to and from school makes a meaningful contribution to individual schoolday MVPA for active commuters in western countries. Since schooldays represent only around half of all days, and prevalence of walking to school is low in many countries, the contribution of walking to school to population MVPA is probably low.
