Physical Activity Opportunities of Low-Income Elementary School-Aged Children During the Segmented School Day.
Emily C Tyler, Keith Brazendale, Ethan Hunt and 3 others
PMID 32776326WHAT IT FOUND
Children in these low-income elementary schools averaged 22.8 minutes (boys) and 20.0 minutes (girls) of moderate-to-vigorous activity daily.
Days with multiple scheduled opportunities were associated with 7.1 and 8.0 more minutes than no-opportunity days.
Key findings
01Across 67 observed school days, boys averaged 22.8 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per day and girls averaged 20.0 minutes.
02On days with no scheduled activity opportunities, boys accumulated 19.2 minutes and girls 16.3 minutes, and 16.2% of boys and 8.2% of girls reached the 30-minute guideline.
03On multiple activity opportunity days, boys and girls accumulated an additional 7.1 minutes and 8.0 minutes compared with no-opportunity days.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study observed naturally occurring school days and did not randomise or test an intervention, so it cannot show that adding an opportunity causes more activity. It included only 8 schools in one rural district serving low-income children, so results may not apply to other grades, schools, or regions. Activity segments were identified from teacher schedules rather than direct observation, and in-class activity breaks were not captured. For PE, recess, and extended lunch, some reported uncertainty ranges included no clear difference, so some apparent effects may be chance.
Declared interests
All authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that adding PE, recess, or extended lunch causes more activity. This was an observational study of naturally occurring school days, and several single-opportunity differences were not statistically significant.