Abstract
<strong>Introduction:</strong> Despite the recognized benefits of physical activity on health, most youth, especially those with a migrant background, do not meet movement guidelines. Outdoor learning is recognized as a promising intervention to address this issue. The objective of this quasi-experimental study was to measure the effects of the PASE (<em>“Outdoors, Health and Environment”</em>) outdoor learning program on the physical activity of students with a migrant background compared to a control group with similar sociocultural characteristics. <strong>Methods: </strong>In October 2019, 91 participants from six elementary grade 6 classes (47.3% female, age 11.61 ± 0.41) wore a validated accelerometer for 7 consecutive days. Three comparative analyses were performed: full week, school day, and activity domains. The Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples was used to compare the differences in means and Cohen’s d was calculated to obtain their effect sizes. <strong>Results:</strong> Analysis of the full week revealed no significant differences between groups. Analysis of school days without physical education classes showed that girls exposed to PASE spent a greater percentage of their time in MVPA than those in the control group (+4.30%, 95% CI = 1.93 to 6.68; p < 0.01) with a strong effect size (<em>d</em> = 1.14). In the activity domain analysis, more time in MVPA was spent in PASE outdoor learning than in the regular classroom (+11.15%, 95% CI = 9.70 to 12.61; p < 0.01) with a strong effect size (<em>d</em> = 3.63). <strong>Conclusion: </strong>Outdoor learning has positive effects on the physical activity of students with a migrant background during school hours. Further studies are needed to confirm these observations.
Highlights
Despite the recognized benefits of physical activity on health, most youth, especially those with a migrant background, do not meet movement guidelines
We find that students spent more time in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) when in PASE rather than in the regular classroom (+11.15%, 95% CI = 9.70 to 12.61; p < 0.01) with a strong effect size (d = 3.63) (Appendix F)
Girls were more active on days when there was outdoor learning compared to regular days when no MVPA: Moderate to vigorous physical activity; Significance level p < 0.05 identified by a letter; non-parametric Mann-Whitney test for independent samples for comparisons of means
Summary
Despite the recognized benefits of physical activity on health, most youth, especially those with a migrant background, do not meet movement guidelines. Outdoor learning is recognized as a promising intervention to address this issue The objective of this quasi-experimental study was to measure the effects of the PASE (“Outdoors, Health and Environment”) outdoor learning program on the physical activity of students with a migrant background compared to a control group with similar sociocultural characteristics. Analysis of school days without physical education classes showed that girls exposed to PASE spent a greater percentage of their time in MVPA than those in the control group (+4.30%, 95% CI = 1.93 to 6.68; p < 0.01) with a strong effect size (d = 1.14). In the activity domain analysis, more time in MVPA was spent in PASE outdoor learning than in the regular classroom (+11.15%, 95% CI = 9.70 to 12.61; p < 0.01) with a strong effect size (d = 3.63). Changes in lifestyles and reduced opportunities for PA practice (Hills et al, 2015) have brought the rate of compliance with PA recommendations among youth to Lacoste et al: A Quasi-Experimental Study of the Effects of an Outdoor Learning
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