Effects of a Before-School Physical Activity Program on Physical Activity and On-Task Behavior

Abstract

Schools are an ideal place for children to engage in physical activity. Opportunities for children to participate in physical activity during the school day have decreased as more emphasis has been placed on academic work. PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of a before-school physical activity program on elementary school-aged children's physical activity and on-task behavior. METHODS: Twenty-seven students (mean age = 8.2 ± 0.5 yrs; mean body mass index = 19.2 ± 4.0 kg·m-2) attended the First-Class Activity Program, which was implemented using the HOPSports Training System. Physical activity levels were measured during the school day with accelerometers and on-task behavior was observed for 5 days at baseline, 5 days during the 8-week intervention, and 5 days at post-intervention. Repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted to examine differences in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels and on-task behavior between baseline, intervention, and post-intervention. Effect sizes (ES) were calculated using Cohen's delta. RESULTS: During First-Class, children spent an average of 46.4% of time in MVPA (9.3 ± 2.9 min) and obtained approximately one-third of the recommended time for school-based physical activity. No significant differences (p >.05) in school day physical activity [not including activity during First-Class] were found among the three time periods. For on-task behavior, significant differences (p <.01) were found among baseline (61% time-on-task), intervention (79% time-on-task), and post-intervention (64% time-on-task) measures. Fisher's LSD post hoc tests indicated that on-task behavior increased from baseline to intervention (p <.01; ES = 1.17) and decreased from intervention to post-intervention (p <.01; ES = 0.95). Overall, there was an 18% increase in time spent on-task from baseline to the intervention data collection period. CONCLUSIONS: A before school activity program can have positive effects on physical activity and classroom behavior in elementary school-aged children. Children did not compensate by decreasing physical activity levels during the school day on days they attended First-Class. A before-school activity program may help students meet physical activity recommendations and increase on-task behavior during subsequent learning time.