international Health Behavior in School-aged Children survey, only 13.9% of children and adolescents meet the current activity guidelines ( 21 ). To counteract this problem, the school setting may offer an ideal environment to reach a large group of children irrespective of social-economic factors. Different
Search Results
School-Based Exercise Intervention Improves Blood Pressure and Parameters of Arterial Stiffness in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Sascha Ketelhut, Sebastian R. Ketelhut, and Kerstin Ketelhut
Physical Activity Levels During School Recess in a Nationally Representative Sample of 10- to 11-Year-Olds
Lan Sum Wong, John J. Reilly, Paul McCrorie, and Deirdre M. Harrington
children is one of the most important public health issues in the 21st century ( 23 ). The World Health Organization has recommended that school-age children engage in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) for an average of at least 60 minutes per day ( 51 ). However, many children globally do not meet the
Integrating Resistance Training Into Secondary School Physical Education Lessons: Effects of a 6-Week Intervention on Athletic Motor Skill Competencies
James A. Murray, Joseph I. Esformes, Paul J. Byrne, and Jeremy A. Moody
, <50% of school-aged children in Europe and North America attain these recommendations, with reduced participation with age and throughout adolescence ( 44 , 55 ). Aligned with the youth PA guidelines, resistance training (RT) is a method that may be utilized to improve health, fitness, and
Physical Activity Patterns in Children and Adolescents With Heart Disease
David A. White, Erik A. Willis, Chaitanya Panchangam, Kelli M. Teson, Jessica S. Watson, Brian F. Birnbaum, Girish Shirali, and Anitha Parthiban
interviewer administered. The 2 questionnaires were used to determine which participants were actively involved in extracurricular sports or extracurricular physical activities during the data collection period. Sports/activities were included if they were externally organized through the school, sport club
Home, School, and Neighborhood Environment Factors and Youth Physical Activity
Rachel A. Millstein, Joe Strobel, Jacqueline Kerr, James F. Sallis, Gregory J. Norman, Nefertiti Durant, Sion Harris, and Brian E. Saelens
This study examined the contributions of home, school, and neighborhood factors related to youth physical activity (PA). Adolescents (ages 12–18; N = 137) and parents of younger children (ages 5–11; N = 104) from three US metropolitan areas completed surveys. Youth PA was estimated from six items assessing overall physical activity. Bivariate analyses between environment factors and PA
The Influence of Familiarization on Physical Fitness Test Results in Primary School-Aged Children
Ivan Vrbik, Goran Sporiš, Lovro Štefan, Dejan Madić, Nebojša Trajković, Irena Valantine, and Zoran Milanović
Purpose:
The number of familiarization sessions in fitness assessments seems to be critical and inconsistent. Therefore, the primary aim of this research was to determine the number of familiarization attempts that stabilize the results in particular physical fitness tests. The secondary aim was to establish the test reliability through familiarization sessions.
Methods:
Thirty-nine primary school children participated in this research (age: 10.8 years, body mass: 40.6 ± 8.9 kg, and body height: 145.3 ± 7.2 cm). During six sessions, with one session every third day, participants performed the following tests to assess explosive strength (vertical jump and standing long jump), coordination (polygon backward and polygon with turn) and flexibility (toe touch).
Results:
The results of repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that there were significant increases (p < .05) in the polygon backward and polygon with turn performances from the first to third familiarization session. The standard error of measurement decreased as sessions progressed, indicating little within subject variation between the coordination test results following a familiarization period. Statistically significant differences were identified in the vertical jump test from the fourth test session compared with the first session. On the other hand, statistically significant differences for the standing long jump test were only found in the final session compared with the initial session. In the toe touch test, there were no significant increases from the first to the final familiarization session. All tests showed high a reliability coefficients, ranging from 0.979 to 0.991.
Conclusion:
Polygon backward and polygon with turn performance may be a practical, reliable method to assess coordination in primary school-aged children. However, completion of at least 3 practice sessions is suggested for participants to obtain a stable score. In addition, both jump tests are feasible for assessing skill-related fitness in young children, although the scientific reliability of the two tests should be questioned and the tests should be tailored to fit the age group of the children.
Physical Literacy of Marginalized Middle School Adolescents in Kansas City Public Schools
Katlyn E. Eighmy, Joseph S. Lightner, Amanda R. Grimes, and Teesha Miller
physical literacy level by race or/ethnicity. Methods Study Design In 2019, 18 sites in the United States were funded by the Department of Health and Human Services under the Youth Engagement in Sport initiative to deliver PA and nutrition interventions for middle-school adolescents with the aim to improve
The Effects of Using a Cycling Desk at School on Executive Function, Physical Fitness, and Body Composition in Primary School Children: Impact of Socioeconomic Status
Camille Chambonnière, Lore Metz, Alicia Fillon, Pauline Demonteix, Nicole Fearnbach, Mélina Bailly, Audrey Boscaro, Bruno Pereira, David Thivel, and Martine Duclos
girls and 27.7% of boys aged 7–10 years, and 30.1% of girls and 45.6% of boys aged 11–14 years are meeting the WHO’s physical activity (PA) guidelines ( 3 ). The school environment can promote PA but also requires spending around 70% of the school day in a sitting position, generating a significant
Use of Physical Activity Self-Management Strategies by High School Students
Stewart G. Trost and Jan Hutley
Teaching adolescents to use self-management strategies may be an effective approach to promoting lifelong physical activity (PA). However, the extent to which adolescents use self-management strategies and their impact on current PA have not been studied previously. The aims of this study were 1) to describe the prevalence of self-management strategy use in adolescents; and 2) to determine relationships between self-management strategy use, PA self-efficacy, and PA participation. 197 students completed questionnaires measuring use of self-management strategies, self-efficacy, and PA behavior. The most prevalent self-management strategies (>30%) were thinking about the benefits of PA, making PA more enjoyable, choosing activities that are convenient, setting aside time to do PA, and setting goals to do PA. Fewer than 10% reported rewarding oneself for PA, writing planned activities in a book or calendar, and keeping charts of PA. Use of self-management strategies was associated with increased self-efficacy (r = .47, p < .001) and higher levels of PA (r = .34 p < .001). A 1-unit difference in self-management strategy scores was associated with a ~fourfold increase in the probability of being active (OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.8-7.4). Although strongly associated with PA, a relatively small percentage of adolescents routinely use self-management strategies.
The Assessment of Physical Activity and Nutrition in Home Schooled Versus Public Schooled Children
Douglas E. Long, Lisa M. Gaetke, Stephen D. Perry, Mark G. Abel, and Jody L. Clasey
The purpose of this study was to descriptively compare the physical activity and dietary intake of public school (PSC) versus home schooled children (HSC). Potential parental and home influences were also examined. Thirty six matched pairs of public school-home school children aged 7–11 years participated in this study. Each participant wore an activity monitor and recorded their dietary intake concurrently for seven consecutive days. PSC had significantly more total and weekday steps, and spent more time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity compared with HSC. There were no differences in dietary intake between the two groups. These results suggest differences in physical activity between PSC and HSC and encourage further study of public and home school environments, in relation to the obesity epidemic.
