Abstract
BackgroundLevels of overall physical activity have been shown to decline across childhood. Schools are considered ideal settings to promote physical activity as children spend a large amount of their waking hours at school. Time-efficient physical activity strategies that demonstrate a positive impact on academic-related outcomes are needed to enable physical activity to be prioritised in the school day. The ACTI-BREAK programme requires classroom teachers to integrate active breaks; 5-min bursts of moderate-intensity physical activity into their classroom routine. Active breaks have been shown to be effective in improving academic-related outcomes, a potentially appealing aspect for teachers and schools. The primary aim of this study is to assess the feasibility and potential efficacy of the ACTI-BREAK programme on children’s academic achievement. Secondary aims are to explore the impact of ACTI-BREAK on children’s on-task behaviour and objectively measured physical activity levels.MethodsACTI-BREAK is a 6-week, classroom-based, physical activity intervention. This pilot trial of the programme will be evaluated using a cluster randomised controlled design. Government primary schools in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia will be invited to participate in the programme in 2017. Randomisation will occur at the school level, with the aim to recruit six schools (three intervention and three control). The ACTI-BREAK programme is theoretically grounded, and was developed with input and guidance from current primary school teachers. Teachers from the intervention schools will receive a 45-min training session and be asked to incorporate ACTI-BREAKS into their classroom routine three times per day for 6 weeks. Intervention support will be provided via assisted delivery. The primary outcomes will be children’s academic achievement in mathematics and reading. Children’s on-task behaviour and school-day physical activity will be assessed as secondary outcomes. Process evaluation will also be carried out.DiscussionThe ACTI-BREAK programme has been designed to be a time-efficient, feasible and appealing approach to physical activity promotion for schools. This study will assess required teacher time commitment and the potential for the ACTI-BREAK programme to improve academic-related outcomes and school-day physical activity levels with the potential for a full-scale trial in the future.Trial registrationAustralia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, identifier ACTRN12617000602325. Retrospectively registered on 27 April 2017.
Highlights
Levels of overall physical activity have been shown to decline across childhood
While results showed that standing desks within the classroom were not detrimental to children’s academic-related outcomes (n = 3 studies) [12], more consistent positive associations have been observed for the effect of physical activity of at least moderateintensity on academic outcomes [13]
The primary aim of this study is to examine the potential efficacy of a classroom-based physical activity programme known as ACTI-BREAK on children’s achievement in mathematics and reading
Summary
Levels of overall physical activity have been shown to decline across childhood. Schools are considered ideal settings to promote physical activity as children spend a large amount of their waking hours at school. Time-efficient physical activity strategies that demonstrate a positive impact on academic-related outcomes are needed to enable physical activity to be prioritised in the school day. Increasing children’s levels of physical activity has important implications for both health and academic-related outcomes during childhood. Primary schools can provide an ideal setting for the promotion of children’s physical activity due to the amount of time children spend in this setting [10]. While results showed that standing desks within the classroom were not detrimental to children’s academic-related outcomes (n = 3 studies) [12], more consistent positive associations have been observed for the effect of physical activity of at least moderateintensity on academic outcomes [13]. Combining breaks in sedentary time with moderate-intensity physical activity is hypothesised to have enhanced benefits on academic-related outcomes. Active breaks, requiring classroom teachers to integrate short bursts of physical activity into their classroom routine [14, 15], may provide such a more effective approach
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
