Increasing children's physical activity levels during recess periods in elementary schools: the effects of providing game equipment

Attempts to incorporate additional physical activity into the school day have been investigated through the use of classroom-based physical activity programs, such as the Take 10! curriculum (Stewart, Dennison, Kohl, & Doyle, 2004; Rowe, 2005). Studies utilizing Take 10! have yielded mixed results, and to date, the outcomes of Take 10! have not been clearly documented. Further, there is a need to examine children's physical activity levels during Take 10! as compared to other in-school and out-of-school activities. PURPOSE: To investigate children's physical activity levels during Take 10!, as compared to activity levels in PE, recess, lunch, and after-school/ weekend activities. METHODS: Participants were thirty-six children (boys n = 16, girls n = 20) between the ages of 9 and 12 (M age = 10.03 years, SD = 0.81) who were randomly selected from 4th and 5th grade classrooms of two public elementary schools in the Southern United States. Activity levels (average activity count/min) were measured using Actical activity monitors (Mini-Mitter Co., Inc., Bend, OR) over a continuous seven-day period. A 2(gender) x 5(activity) ANOVA with repeated measures on the second factor was used to test for differences in activity levels during Take 10!, PE, recess, lunch, and after-school/ weekend activities. RESULTS: Results revealed a significant main effect for activity (F = 9.01, p < .01) with no gender by activity interaction (F = 0.2, p = .94). Pairwise follow-up analyses yielded higher activity levels during Take 10! (M = 2775.0 counts/min, SD = 1308.0 counts/min; p <.05) than during PE (M = 1813.7 counts/min, SD = 1550.1 counts/min; p<.05), lunch (M= 1371.5 counts/min, SD =450.9 counts/min; p<.01), and after school/weekend activities (M = 1480.4 counts/min, SD = 514.3 counts/min; p <.01). Although not statistically significant, there was a trend suggesting children tended to be more active during Take 10! as compared to recess (M = 2169.7 counts/min, SD = 1389.0 counts/min; p = .14). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study demonstrate that when teachers implement the Take 10! curriculum, children's activity levels can increase. Based on these results, it appears that Take 10! is an effective tool to increase children's activity levels and decrease risk for obesity.

Several studies have shown that children have sub-optimal physical activity levels. Since preschool children (4–6 years-old) spend most of their time awake in kindergarten on weekdays, physical activity level at kindergarten is crucial. The study examines preschool children's physical activity level at kindergarten. Preschool children's activity level at kindergarten is also investigated related to activity level at leisure, gender, and mothers' education level, income, and age. Two hundred and forty four children (125 boys and 119 girls) supplied valid accelerometer data, and mothers' education level, income, and age were measured using a questionnaire. One-way ANOVA and linear regression were utilized as statistical analyses. The results demonstrated that physical activity level during kindergarten is the main contributor to preschool children's physical activity level on weekdays. Furthermore, boys were more active than girls, and preschool children's physical activity level at both leisure and at kindergarten were not associated with mothers' age, education level, or income. However, a positive association was found between physical activity level at leisure and physical activity level at kindergarten, in which physical activity level at kindergarten increases when physical activity level at leisure increases. Physical activity level was also significantly different between kindergartens. The study indicated that kindergartens increase inequality according to physical activity level among preschool children—contributing to creating differences according to low-active and high-active children.

Background Since the outbreak and global spread ofCOVID-19, countries rapidly introduced a range of preventative measures and isolation protocols to ensure safety, which ultimately led to the implementation of total lockdowns. As a result, children lost access to spaces where they typically engage in physical activity and were required to stay indoors. Objective The objective of this study is to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's physical activity levels and analyze the factors influencing their physical activity during this period. Methods Parents from various Emirates participated in an online survey to evaluate changes in their children's physical activity during the COVID-19 lockdown compared to the pre-lockdown period. The survey included questions about time spent on sedentary activities, general physical activity, and specific play behaviors before and during the lockdown. It also assessed the parents' own physical activity and their involvement in their children's activities. The relationships between these behaviors, as well as demographic and environmental factors, were analyzed. Results The study included 272 parents who completed an online survey about their child's physical activity during the COVID-19 lockdown. Many parents reported significant changes in their children's physical activity and screen time. Specifically, 89 (32.7%) observed a major decrease in physical activity, while 77 (28.3%) noted a minor decrease. Regarding screen time, 79 (29.0%) of parents reported a major increase, and 87 (32.0%) saw a minor increase. Key factors influencing children's physical activity were identified. Most notably, parents' own activity levels had a significant impact on their children's activity (p < 0.001). Additionally, children living in villas were more active than those living in apartments or traditional houses (p = 0.007), and UAE national children were slightly more active than non-nationals (p = 0.023). Conclusion This study demonstrated the significant impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on children's activity and emphasized the importance of parental involvement in supporting their children's activity levels. It highlights the need for increased attention during the recovery phase from this crisis and calls for the development of strategies and guidelines to prevent similar challenges in future pandemics or similar emergencies.

To evaluate the effects of a comprehensive physical activity (PA) promotion programme in elementary schools on children's total PA levels, leisure-time PA, physical fitness and psychosocial correlates of PA. A pre-test-post-test design over two school years. Sixteen elementary schools (764 children, mean age: 11.2 +/- 0.7 years) were randomly assigned to the intervention condition (n = 8) and the control condition (n = 8). The intervention included a health-related physical education programme, an extracurricular PA promotion programme and classroom-based PA education lessons. In the total sample, leisure-time PA, psychosocial correlates of PA and physical fitness were measured using a PA questionnaire and the Eurofit test battery. In a sub-sample, total PA levels were measured using an accelerometer. According to accelerometer data, children's moderate PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) levels decreased less in the intervention schools than in the control schools (P < 0.01). The average time spent on MVPA decreased by 9 min per day in the intervention schools compared with 33 min per day in the control schools. Children in the intervention schools reported significantly more moderate PA in leisure time than the controls (P < 0.05). No overall improvement of physical fitness and no effects on the psychosocial correlates of PA were found. The comprehensive PA promotion programme was successful in preventing a decline in children's total activity levels. Furthermore, the intervention increased children's PA engagement in leisure time. Therefore, implementation needs to be encouraged.

Although it is developmentally appropriate for preschoolers to be highly active, this physical activity level can be difficult for parents to manage at mealtime when children are asked to sit and focus on eating. We examined how children's physical activity levels across the week related to parents' feeding coparenting efforts and how parent feeding pressure and prompts to change the child's activity mediated these associations. From a sample of 100 families with a preschool-age child (3-5 years, 49% female, 59% White, 12% Black, 10% Hispanic, 26% low-income), home dinners with mothers and fathers present were recorded in 65 families for seven consecutive days (455 total meals observed). Coders rated meals for children's activity level and parents' prompts for activity change, pressuring feeding behaviors, and feeding coparenting support, undermining, and balance. Multilevel structural equation models tested direct and indirect associations at within-person and between-person levels. On days children were more active than usual, parents engaged in more supportive feeding coparenting and used more prompts for children's activity change. Fathers' increased prompts for activity change explained associations between child activity level and supportive feeding coparenting. Although fathers' feeding pressure related to more supportive and balanced feeding coparenting, it was not predicted by child activity level and, thus, did not mediate associations between child activity and feeding coparenting. At the between-person level, children who were more physically active had parents who engaged in more undermining feeding coparenting. Results are discussed in terms of the consistency of children's physical activity and fathers' feeding engagement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

BackgroundSchool recess provides a daily opportunity for children to engage in physically active behaviours. However, few studies have investigated what factors may influence children's physical activity levels in this context. Such information may be important in the development and implementation of recess interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between a range of recess variables and children's sedentary, moderate and vigorous physical activity in this context.MethodsOne hundred and twenty-eight children (39% boys) aged 9-10 years old from 8 elementary schools had their physical activity levels observed during school recess using the System for Observing Children's Activity and Relationships during Play (SOCARP). Playground variables data were also collected at this time. Multilevel prediction models identified variables that were significantly associated with children's sedentary, moderate and vigorous physical activity during recess.ResultsGirls engaged in 13.8% more sedentary activity and 8.2% less vigorous activity than boys during recess. Children with no equipment provision during recess engaged in more sedentary activity and less moderate activity than children provided with equipment. In addition, as play space per child increased, sedentary activity decreased and vigorous activity increased. Temperature was a significant negatively associated with vigorous activity.ConclusionsModifiable and unmodifiable factors were associated with children's sedentary, moderate and vigorous physical activity during recess. Providing portable equipment and specifying areas for activities that dominate the elementary school playground during recess may be two approaches to increase recess physical activity levels, though further research is needed to evaluate the short and long-term impact of such strategies.

To examine the effects of different levels of goal specificity and difficulty on Latino children's performance and physical activity (PA) levels in an after-school program incorporating an interactive dance program (Dance Dance Revolution [DDR]; Konami Corporation). Comparison study. Rose Park Elementary School, Salt Lake City, Utah. Ninety-eight Latino children in the first through sixth grades, aged 7 to 13 years. After the pretest, the participants were randomly assigned into 1 of the following 3 goal-setting conditions: (1) easy, (2) difficult, and (3) best effort (hereinafter referred to as do-your-best goal). Participants' PA levels were measured using piezoelectric pedometers, and steps per minute were used as the outcome variable. Participants' total points for their dance on television screens were retrieved as their performance scores. These outcome variables were assessed again 8 weeks later (posttest score). The multivariate analysis of covariance yielded a significant main effect for the goal-setting condition. Follow-up tests revealed that children who set specific (easy or difficult) goals had significantly greater increased PA levels (mean scores, 10.34 for easy and 22.45 for difficult) and DDR performance (0.011 for easy and 0.67 for difficult) than those in the do-your-best group (0.83 for PA and 0.17 for performance). In addition, children's increased PA levels in the difficult-goal group were significantly higher than those in the easy-goal group. The easy- and difficult-goal groups show a significant improvement on DDR performance. The difficult- goal group also displays the highest improvement on PA levels. Strategies to enhance children's DDR performance and PA levels are discussed in relation to the extant goal-setting literature.

A quasi-experimental investigation of young children's activity levels and movements in equipment-based and naturalized outdoor play environments

This paper explores parental concern about children's activity levels and whether parents who are concerned about their child's activity provide a supportive environment. A sample of 615 parents of 5–6-year-old children and 947 parents of 10–12-year-old children completed a questionnaire. Just over 50% of parents reported they were concerned their child was not getting enough activity. Children of concerned parents were less active than those whose parents were not concerned. These findings suggest that parents who are concerned about their child's physical activity levels provided a less supportive environment for physical activity than parents who are not concerned. The challenge for public health will be to harness parental concerns and translate them into action.

Most children fail to meet international physical activity (PA) recommendations. Can a single pediatric visit help reverse this trend? Brief counseling is infrequently used in clinical practice and its actual impact on children's activity levels remains uncertain. This study evaluates the impact of medical exercise prescriptions on children's PA levels compared to standard health advice. It also explores whether these prescriptions contribute to reducing daily screen time. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 130 children aged 6-14 years. Participants were randomized into two groups: one received brief standard health advice (HA, 2 min), and the other received a 10-minute intervention including a written medical exercise prescription (MEP). All sessions were delivered by three trained pediatricians following a standardized protocol. PA levels (duration and intensity), screen time, and anthropometric data were collected through the same questionnaires. Physical activity was assessed at 3 and 12 months by the same investigator. Multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate changes over time. Both interventions increased the duration and intensity of physical activity, with a significant increase in the number of children classified as physically active. An inverse relationship was observed between physical activity and screen time, indicating that promoting exercise may help reduce sedentary behavior. Parental satisfaction was high and similar in both groups, suggesting good acceptance of the interventions regardless of their format or duration. A short, focused message from a pediatrician-delivered in just a few minutes-can lead to lasting improvements in children's activity levels and screen habits. Brief health advice was as effective as personalized prescriptions, offering a simple, feasible and low-cost strategy to promote healthier lifestyles in primary care. https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/beta/studies/S000F96J00000036/recordSummary, identifier NCT06765460.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between digital addiction (DA) and physical activity (PA) levels in children and adolescents. The sample of this cross-sectional and descriptive study consists of 400 students, 267 girls, aged 8-17, in Izmir. The participants were administered the handgrip strength test, the PA Level Scale (QPAC-C), and the DA Level Scale, which have been validated and reliable in Turkish for children and adolescents. DA (55.7±15.8, M:3.52±0.62; F:3.40±0.56, p=0.200) and PA (3.44±0.58) and handgrip strength (23.9±9.82kg, M:25.3±13.2kg, F:23.2±7.58kg, p=0.525) were compared according to gender, and the results for men were higher than for women. The difference in PA level (M:3.52±0.62, F:3.40±0.56, p=0.020) between the genders was significant (Mann-Whitney U). DA and PA levels (p=0.325) and handgrip strength results were compared between ages (Kruskal Wallis), and it was found that handgrip strength and DA levels were significantly different between ages (One-Way ANOVA). There was a significant difference in hand grip strength between all ages except 9-10, 11-12, 14-15, 14-16, and 16-17 years old (Mann-Whitney U), and in DA between 8 and 11, 13, 15 and 16 years old (Bonferroni post hoc). A positive correlation was found between age and DA (r=0.252, p&amp;lt;0.001) and handgrip strength (r=0.822, p&amp;lt;0.001) (Spearman's Rank Coefficient). Society needs to be made aware of the need to reduce the DA level that increases with age and to create conditions that will increase the PA level. In future studies, it is recommended that biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors be evaluated to determine age and gender differences.

Children's physical activity (PA) levels remain low, and schools are being asked to assume a leadership role in PA promotion. Research suggests outdoor recess contributes to children's overall PA levels. However, similar research is not available for indoor recess, which occurs frequently due to a variety of factors. The purpose of this study was to describe PA levels and intensity during indoor recess using PA dance videos. Fifty-four children (27 girls) wore accelerometers for 5 days during indoor recess. Factorial analyses of variance were conducted to examine the differences in PA between sexes and across grades. Participants averaged 17.66 (SD = 2.82) minutes in indoor recess. On average, 22.22% (SD = 12.72) was spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and 45.70% (SD = 11.29) of time was spent in low-intensity physical activity (LPA) totaling 67.92% (SD = 16.54) of total recess time. Boys accumulated a higher percentage of MVPA and total PA compared to girls. Students engaged in PA 68% of indoor recess time, equaling almost 12 minutes of PA during recess. Results suggest PA dance videos are 1 effective method for increasing elementary children's PA during indoor recess as an alternative to sedentary activities.

The benefits of physical activity to maintain optimal health and well-being in children and adolescents are undisputed. The school environment offers opportunities for children to be physically active. The aim of this review is to systematically examine the effects of recess-based interventions on the physical activity (PA) levels of school-aged children and adolescents. A systematic literature search was conducted to identify papers reporting interventions to promote PA during school recess and/or lunchtime periods. The search was conducted in six databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus™, Web of Science, Proquest, Cochrane and Scopus) for papers published between January 2000 and April 2011. Articles were included in the review if (i) they reported the findings of an intervention targeting PA levels of children and/or adolescents during school recess and/or lunchtime; (ii) have a measure of PA as an outcome variable; (iii) participants were aged between 5 and 18 years; and (iv) were published in English. Two authors independently searched the literature using the same search strategies to identify papers reporting interventions that promote PA during school recess and lunchtime periods. Methodological quality was assessed using an adapted eight item assessment scale. The effects of the interventions were assessed with a rating system used in a recent review of interventions in youth. The search originally retrieved 2,265 articles. Nine published peer-reviewed journal articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Eight studies used randomized controlled trials and one was a controlled trial. Three studies demonstrated high methodological quality (33%). None of the studies adequately reported the randomization procedure or used power calculations. Few studies reported potential confounders and three studies had less than a 6 week follow-up. Five studies demonstrated a positive intervention effect on children's PA levels, with four reporting statistically significant increases and two reporting significant decreases in recess PA. The summary of the levels of evidence for intervention effects found inconclusive results for all intervention types, though promising strategies that require further investigation were identified. Whilst every effort was made to ensure that this review was as encompassing as possible, it may be limited by its search terms especially if there were studies with unclear titles or abstracts. In addition, only manuscripts published in English were considered, eliminating any possible studies published in other languages. All of the studies used an objective measure to assess PA outcomes, although several criteria were consistently absent from the studies. The levels of evidence were not sufficient to establish conclusive intervention effects on children's recess PA. This could be due to the small number of published studies. There is a need for higher-quality intervention research to strengthen published findings to inform recess PA interventions. Intervention research is needed in adolescents due to the absence of school recess intervention research in this population.

PURPOSE: Statistics from the Canadian General Social Survey (1998) indicated that active children generally had supportive families. While most studies have adopted a child's perspective, limited research has examined a mother's belief in their potential to influence their child's physical activity. The first purpose of the present study was to qualitatively examine the role of mothers in influencing their children's levels of physical activity. The second purpose was to examine whether having a child influenced a woman's philosophy on exercise and reasons for participating. The final purpose of the study was to evaluate whether the previous two issues were differentially affected by the sex of the child. METHODS: A phenomenological approach was used to understand the lived experiences of five physically active women and their perceptions about influencing their children's physical activity levels. The participants ranged in age from 39–49 years. Four of the participants had two children and one of the participants had three children (aged 10–17 years). A background questionnaire was administerd by telephone and a physical activity journal was recorded by the participants for both mothers and children. The participants also participated in face-to-face semi-structured taped interviews which probed for issues relevant to the purpose of the study. The data from the interviews was transcribed, analyzed, and coded using grounded theory. Themes within the data were identified. RESULTS: Five general trends emerged. All participants believed that they exerted a significant influence on their children's physical activity patterns by providing a supportive environment and demonstrating activity to be an essential life skill. Mothers indicated that they reaped the benefits of activity by spending time with their children. They also acknowledged how their goals have changed by having children and that the computer posed a significant challenge to motivating their children to be active. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the importance that physically active mothers placed in affecting their children's activity choices. Physically active mothers believed that they exerted a significant influence on their children's participation in physical activity. In light of the current childhood obesity epidemic, the present study suggested that successful interventions geared toward childhood behavioral changes must target parents first. Once mothers internalize and accept an active health philosophy for both themselves and their children, they will provide the support and encouragement necessary for their children to follow.

This study investigated the association between physical activity facilities at childcare (e.g., play equipment) and physical activity of 2- and 3-year olds. Observations of physical activity intensity were performed among 175 children at 9 childcare centers in The Netherlands, using the OSRAC-P. The physical activity facilities were assessed for indoors and outdoors separately, using the EPAO instrument. Regular (single-level) multivariate and multilevel linear regression analyses examined the association of the facilities and child characteristics (age and sex) with children's activity levels. Various physical activity facilities were available in all childcare centers (e.g., balls). Riding toys and a small playing area were associated with lower indoor physical activity levels. Outdoor physical activity levels were positively associated with the availability of portable jumping equipment and the presence of a structured track on the playground. Portable slides, fixed swinging equipment, and sandboxes were negatively associated with outdoor activity levels. In addition, the 3-year old children were more active outdoors than the 2-year olds. In conclusion, not all physical activity facilities at childcare were indeed positively associated with children's activity levels. The current findings provide concrete leads for childcare providers regarding which factors they can improve in the physical environment to facilitate children's physical activity.