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The proliferation of research on physical activity paints a clear picture regarding the health benefits of increasing levels of physical activity. In the present study, the efficacy of a school-based physical activity intervention (Promoting Lifetime Activity for Youth) was examined. Twenty-eight 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-grade elementary school teachers and their students participated in this study. Treatment group classes received the P.L.A.Y. intervention. Control group classes received a placebo. Participants completed 2 questionnaires 3 times during the study. Repeated measures ANOVA was used for all analyses. Results indicate that the treatment group significantly increased physical activity levels. Control group classes did not significantly increase activity levels or attraction to activity.

Reactivity is defined as a change in normal activity patterns when people are aware that their activity levels are being monitored. This study investigated reactivity in elementary school children. The step counts of forty-eight participants in second, fourth and sixth grades were monitored with sealed pedometers for eight days. A factorial repeated measures ANOVA revealed no significant differences among days for all participants (F _(7,294) = 1.25, p = .279) and no interactions among Sex, Grade, and Day. There is no reactivity in children monitored with a sealed pedometer. Intraclass correlations found that three to four days of monitoring are needed to determine habitual activity levels with a coefficient alpha level of .70 and five days of monitoring are needed to obtain a .80 coefficient alpha. This study demonstrates that there appears to be no reactivity period when sealed pedometers are used to measure physical activity.

Research has suggested a trend of decreasing activity with age necessitating a renewed emphasis on promoting physical activity for children. The purpose of this study was to assess current physical activity levels of children and to establish initial standards for comparison in determining appropriate activity levels of children based on pedometer counts. Children, 6–12 years old (N = 711), wore sealed pedometers for 4 consecutive days. Mean step counts ranged from 10,479–11,274 and 12300–13989 for girls and boys respectively. Factorial ANOVA found a significant difference between sex (F = 90.16, p < .01) but not among age (F = 0.78, p = .587). Great individual variability existed among children of the same sex. Further analysis found significant differences among children of the same sex above the 80th percentile and below the 20th percentile. A reasonable activity standard might be approximately 11,000 and 13,000 steps per day for girls and boys respectively, although further discussion of this is warranted. The descriptive nature of this study provides insights into the activity patterns of children and the mean step counts for boys and girls at each age can serve as a preliminary guide for determining meaningful activity levels for children based on pedometer counts.

Although several studies have investigated the relationship between interscholastic athletic participation and delinquency, little attention has been given to younger populations. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between youth sport participation and deviant behavior among elementary school children. The study ascertained deviancy among youth sport participants and nonparticipants, and compared the profiles of youth sport participants and deviants on a selected cluster of eight sociopsychological variables. Of a total sample of 381 sixth-grade students, 278 (146 boys and 132 girls) were classified as youth sport participants. Overall, the results indicated a negative association between youth sport participation and deviancy. Although the study showed some similarities in the profiles of youth sport participants and deviants, important distinctions were found regarding the variables delinquent associates, peer status, and personal values.

The purposes of this study included (a) to determine if the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) predicted intentions of individuals with and without disabilities to be physically active, (b) to determine if the TPB predicted behaviors of individuals with and without disabilities to be physically active, and (c) to determine if significant differences were present in physical activity opportunities between inclusive and non-inclusive elementary physical education classes taught by the same teacher. Students (N = 114, ages 10-13) completed questionnaires assessing the TPB constructs and had four days of PA evaluated through pedometer measurements. Analyses revealed that subjective norm and perceived behavioral control predicted students’ intentions to be active, while behavioral intention was the only significant predictor of activity level by step count accrued in PE classes. Finally, the inclusion of students with autism did not significantly affect overall physical activity.