Inexpensive, teacher-directed classroom-based PA interventions can be effective in improving children's PA levels if teachers implement 1 activity break per school day. We recommend promoting the notion of 1 activity break per day in the classroom as part of a comprehensive school PA program that includes quality physical education, recess, and before/after school programs.

Background: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.Methods:One-hundred sixty third- to fifth-grade students from 2 elementary schools wore pedometers during 4 recess periods.Results: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.Conclusions: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.

Objective-To examine the relationship between prenatal secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, preterm birth and immediate neonatal outcomes by measuring maternal hair nicotine.Design-Cross-sectional, observational design. Setting-A metropolitan Kentucky birthing center. Participants-Two hundred ten (210) mother-baby coupletsMethods-Nicotine in maternal hair was used as the biomarker for prenatal SHS exposure collected within 48 hours of birth. Smoking status was confirmed by urine cotinine analysis.Results-Smoking status (nonsmoking, passive smoking, and smoking) strongly correlated with low, medium, and high hair nicotine tertiles (rho = .74; p < .001). Women exposed to prenatal SHS were more at risk for preterm birth (OR = 2.3; 95% CI: .96-5.96), and their infants were more likely to have immediate newborn complications (OR = 2.4; 95% CI 1.09-5.33) than nonexposed women. Infants of passive smoking mothers were at increased risk for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (OR = 4.9; 95% CI 1.45-10.5) and admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) (OR= 6.5; CI: 1.29 to 9.7) when compared to infants of smoking mothers (OR 3.9; 95% CI: 1.61-14.9; OR 3.5; 95% CI: 2.09-20.4; respectively). Passive smokers and/or women with hair nicotine levels greater than .35 ng/ml were more likely to deliver earlier (1 week); give birth to infants weighing less (decrease of 200 to 300 grams); and deliver shorter infants (decrease of 1.1 to 1.7 cm).Conclusions-Prenatal SHS exposure places women at greater risk for preterm birth and their newborns are more likely to have RDS, NICU admissions and immediate newborn complications.

Two studies were conducted to determine the validity of various measures of physical activity in young children. In Study 1, 21 preschool children were utilized to explore how well measures of children's activity obtained from parents, teachers, and the children predicted observed behavior at school and in the home. Study 2 (n = 51 preschool children) focused on the predictive validity of the Caltrac motion sensor. In both studies, detailed minute-by-minute ratings of children's activity in Study 1 were generally ineffective in predicting observed physical activity. Children's activity preferences, however, were significantly related to the proportion of high intensity physical activity performed. In Study 2, there was a significant relationship (r = .86, p less than .0001) between Caltrac readings and observed physical activity. This correlation was similar for boys and girls, normal and overweight children, and younger and older children. These findings suggest that the Caltrac monitor may provide a valid index of individual differences in physical activity in young children.

This study assessed the effectiveness of a model for diffusing the Life Skills Training (LST) Program into middle schools, examined implementation fidelity, and explored factors associated with involvement in training and program implementation. A convenience sample of master trainers (n = 44) and teachers (n = 45) from 16 Kentucky counties participated. Teachers were observed for content and process fidelity, and trainers and teachers completed questionnaires to assess factors related to training and program implementation. More than one-fourth (27%) of master trainers conducted training sessions, and 60% of teachers taught the curriculum. While implementation fidelity was relatively high, teachers were less likely to use the more innovative elements of the program. Trainers and teachers who conducted training and/or taught the LST Program were more enthusiastic toward the program than those who did nothing beyond being trained.