The contribution of recess to children's school-day physical activity

Recess is an important component of a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program, providing approximately 1268 and 914 steps for boys and girls, respectively, within a 15-minute time period. The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of unstructured recess on children's sch...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physical activity & health 2012-03, Vol.9 (3), p.442-448
Main Authors: Erwin, Heather, Abel, Mark, Beighle, Aaron, Noland, Melody P, Worley, Brooke, Riggs, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Basic instruction program
Body mass
Body Mass Index
Child
Child Welfare
Children
Elementary schools
Exercise
Female
Gender
Girls
Health
Humans
Male
Motor Activity - physiology
Play and Playthings
Recreation - physiology
Schools
Students
Time Factors
Walking - physiology
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Summary:Recess is an important component of a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program, providing approximately 1268 and 914 steps for boys and girls, respectively, within a 15-minute time period. The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of unstructured recess on children's school-day physical activity levels and to examine if recess and school-day physical activity levels varied by BMI, gender, and grade level. One-hundred sixty third- to fifth-grade students from 2 elementary schools wore pedometers during 4 recess periods. Recess accounted for 17% to 44% of school-day step counts. There was a significant main effect for grade level, but not for BMI or gender, on the percentage of school-day steps accumulated during recess. A 15-minute recess makes a valuable contribution to children's school-day physical activity, especially for the least active children. More research is warranted to determine environmental influences on children's recess physical activity.
ISSN:1543-3080
1543-5474
DOI:10.1123/jpah.9.3.442