Activity in the Classroom: Interventions to Increase Activity and Help Fight Childhood Obesity

Abstract

As schools focus on academics, less time is devoted to physical activity. Students "lack daily, quality physical activity", and this decline in physical exercise is contributing to the prevalence of childhood obesity. In this research we investigate how using a video-based exercise program in the classroom specifically designed to incorporate exercise with math skill practice can increase the activity level of children without sacrificing academic performance. Teachers from 36 Kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms participated in a 12-week pilot test using an academic exergaming program (Mission Move TM ) including both an intervention group and a control group who did not use the software during the test period. Teachers in both the intervention and control groups participated in surveys to assess children's activity levels and classroom behavior over the test period. Further, math pre-and post-tests were administered in both intervention and control classrooms with scores aggregated at the classroom level. We find that the total number of active minutes reported by classrooms during the pilot-test increased more than 100 minutes a week including 20 minutes within the classroom environment on average. Importantly, spending more activity time did not significantly impact academic scores on math skills positively or negatively. This research demonstrates that education-focused activity interventions can increase the activity level of children without having a negative impact on their overall academic performance.

Barriers and Enablers to the Implementation of School Wellness Policies: An Economic Perspective

“…For example, access to à la carte snacks and vending machines not only have an inverse association with fruit/vegetable consumption, and a positive association with fat intake (Kubik, Lytle, Hannan, Perry, & Story, 2003) but also have been associated with higher body mass index among elementary school students (Fox, Dodd, Wilson, & Gleason, 2009). Additionally, targeted wellness programming in schools has been shown to increase time spent in physical activity, without deterring from academics (Bublitz & Rhodes, 2017). …”

Physical assessment and motor skills development on a group of students from rural areas

“…Some students do not meet the scales and then prefer to exempt to not hurt the average, which is a mistake that could have negative effects on health. We have to find a better solution that is youth-oriented movement, but have no repercussions on the environment if not face a sustained physical effort [4].…”