Physical Activity Interventions During the School Day: Reviewing Policies, Practices, and Benefits.
Kelly Cornett, Ken Murfay, Janet E Fulton
PMID 37670602WHAT IT FOUND
School-wide policies, physical education changes, and recess improvements generally increased student physical activity.
However, over half the included studies had weak designs or no comparison group, so these gains may reflect secular trends rather than the interventions themselves.
Key findings
01Most school-wide, physical education, and recess interventions reported improvements in physical activity or fitness outcomes.
02More than half of the interventions were rated as having weak design or high risk of bias, and about half lacked a comparison group.
03Physical education interventions also improved student knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding physical activity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Over half of the interventions had weak study designs or high risk of bias. About half of the studies lacked a comparison group, making it impossible to separate intervention effects from secular trends. Most interventions occurred in elementary schools, limiting applicability to middle and high school settings. The review excluded emerging interventions like yoga or mindfulness because they did not report physical activity as a primary outcome.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these specific interventions caused the reported increases in physical activity. Because about half the studies lacked a comparison group and over half had weak designs, the improvements might reflect general trends in school activity levels rather than the effect of the policies or programs themselves.