Many grade school students spend most of their time indoors. The presence of heavy traffic in many neighborhoods prevents parents from allowing their children to freely socialize with their peers. According to Balfanz & Byrnes (2012), a... more
Many grade school students spend most of their time indoors. The presence of heavy traffic in many neighborhoods prevents parents from allowing their children to freely socialize with their peers. According to Balfanz & Byrnes (2012), a majority of grade school students only get 30 minutes of outdoor play activities. They, however, get to spend more than seven hours on screen devices. The limited amounts of physical activity for these students has led to an increase in cases of obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among these students. At present, the United States leads in the consumption of ADHD medications. Balfanz & Byrnes (2012), also report of increased pediatric antidepressants prescriptions in the United States. Recess time is beneficial to grade school students in a variety of ways. Apart from helping these students to improve on their social skills, it greatly helps in maintaining their physical health. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 1 in 3 children in the United States are obese. Recess time provides grade school students with an opportunity to engage in play which helps them build healthy bodies while increasing their physical abilities.
To better understand and promote youth physical activity (PA) it is important to determine settings and characteristics that promote or influence behavior. This study evaluated the utility of a multi-method approach (accelerometers plus... more
To better understand and promote youth physical activity (PA) it is important to determine settings and characteristics that promote or influence behavior. This study evaluated the utility of a multi-method approach (accelerometers plus direct observation) to better understand youth PA at recess. A total of 100 third through fifth grade children (52 males and 48 females) wore an Actigraph accelerometer during school recess for five consecutive days in both Fall and Spring. Trained observers coded PA behaviors at the same recess periods using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activities (SOPLAY). Overall, gender comparisons based on both instruments indicated that boys were more active than girls. MVPA levels were higher during climbing/sliding activities (40-50%) and when the activity setting was supervised and equipped (30%). Both assessments indicated that boys were more active but the contextual data from the SOPLAY indicate that differences may vary according to the envi...
