Contribution of Physical Education to the Daily Physical Activity of Schoolchildren in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The positive contribution of physical education (PE) to daily physical activity (PA) has been documented in past studies. However, little is known about the contribution of PE to inactive and unfit schoolchildren’s PA. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the contribution of PE to the daily PA of schoolchildren, especially for inactive and unfit schoolchildren. Accelerometers were used to measure the PA of 111 boys (Mage = 13.6 0.8 years) across 7 days. Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was measured during PE classes and on school days with and without PE classes. To measure the time that schoolchildren spent on MVPA, the accelerometer count (i.e., 2296 counts/minute) was used. Schoolchildren spent 22% of PE class time in MVPA. Times spent in MVPA were 12.9, 14.7 and 14.8 minutes higher on PE days than on days without PE for all, inactive, and unfit schoolchildren, respectively. Results showed that 40% percent and 24% of the schoolchildren met the recommended levels of PA on PE days and days without PE, respectively. It is concluded that, since PE classes increase daily engagement in MVPA, especially among inactive and unfit schoolchildren, PE classes should be conducted on all school days.

Quantification of physical activity of Malaysian traditional games for school-based intervention among primary school children

“…Although accelerometers are reliable and valid instruments to evaluate children's PA levels, some activities such as upper-body motions may not be assessed accurately, which may lead to underestimated PA levels. 9 Another limitation of the present study was that all participants were sampled from a town in the northern regions of Malaysia; therefore, the findings may not be generalised to other demographic groups. Compared to previous studies, the research is novel in that the effects of playing space on the PA level of intensity were controlled while playing different traditional games.…”

“…All measurements were taken while the children were barefoot and wore light clothes, and were recorded by the principal researcher. 9 …”

“… 8 It was shown that PE is essential in enhancing the daily involvement of children in MVPA, particularly of those who are unfit and inactive. 9 It is important to note that participation in MVPA directly influences motor skills ability among children 10 ; it is thus crucial to encourage participation in MVPA in the age groups prior to puberty 11 because children must have mastered fundamental motor skills when their process of growth ends. 12 Failure to develop fundamental motor skills during pre and primary school years may lead to failure in developing motor competence during adulthood, which will further reduce participation in sports and physical activities.…”

Physical Activity and Adolescent Health: What Should We Know?

“…There is evidence to suggest that behavioral levels of activities performed during adolescence may follow into adulthood [10,24,35,47,48,49,50]. Although the effects of chronic noncommunicable diseases manifest in adulthood, their development begins in childhood and adolescence [29].…”

A Mixed Methods Study to Examine the Influence of CLIL on Physical Education Lessons: Analysis of Social Interactions and Physical Activity Levels

“…This tendency is related to the aforementioned first and second functions of Physical Education, and responds to the worrisome concern due to the decrease in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in schoolaged children (Hollis et al, 2017;Viciana et al, 2019). In fact, Physical Education lessons are the only opportunity to engage in physical activity for many adolescents and children (Meyer et al, 2013;Aljuhani and Sandercock, 2019). Therefore, this subject is crucial in contributing to the recommendations on daily amount of physical activity (World Health Organization, 2010;Viciana et al, 2019).…”