A Quasi-Experimental Intervention On The Influence Of The Schoolyard Environment On Children’s Recess Physical Activity.

Abstract

School recess provides children with an important opportunity to participate in regular physical activity (PA). Previous literature has called for the utilisation of advanced tracking systems (such as GPS) to be combined with direct observation assessments to enhance current understanding of the influences on young people’s school-based PA patterns. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of implementing schoolyard modifications on children’s PA patterns during recess, by utilising an innovative methodological approach. METHODS: A quasi-experimental intervention study was conducted in 3 elementary schools from Central England (UK) involving 77 children (43 M; 34 F). Children wore integrated GPS and heart-rate devices during school recess periods on 4 consecutive weekdays on 3 separate occasions (pre-intervention baseline; 1 month after installation; 3.5 months after installation). The ‘System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth’ was utilised to observe the PA levels of all users of the playground. Schoolyard interventions were conducted in School 1 whereby a multi-use games area (MUGA) was installed, and in school 2 a climbing wall and trim trail were installed. Repeated measures ANOVA compared the recess PA levels of children across the 3 testing stages. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the recess moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) levels of children between the 3 testing stages within school 1 (p=0.021), and school 2 (p=0.030), but not within the control group (p>0.05). The installation of the MUGA within school 1 enhanced playground space management and caused a significant short-term positive effect on males’ recess MVPA between baseline (15mins MVPA) and testing stage 2 (28mins MVPA), but not stage 3 (18mins MVPA). The introduction of trim-trails and climbing walls within school 2 promoted a significant longer term increase in females’ MVPA (from 8.75mins in stage 1 to 12.41mins in stage 3). CONCLUSION: The study provided an insight into how the implementation of different schoolyard facilities can have a varying effect on the PA patterns of males and females, the intensity of children’s PA and the longevity of the intervention impact. Future research needs to explore the impact of specific schoolyard facilities on promoting PA within traditionally ‘less active groups’ of children.