Teacher- Versus Video-Delivered Classroom Activity Breaks and Student Physical Activity: The PAAC-3 Trial.

Teachers delivered far less than the prescribed two 10-minute daily breaks; no classrooms met that target, and only 7% delivered five breaks per week. There was no control group, so the increases in activity over the school year cannot be attributed to the activity breaks. Only 468 of 1425 eligible students consented to outcome assessments, and valid accelerometry was available for 321 students at baseline and 171 students in spring. The accelerometer sample was not representative: it included significantly more females and significantly fewer students with learning disabilities and fewer students receiving free/reduced lunch than students not wearing accelerometers. Students in the PAAC-T arm were significantly younger than those in the PAAC-V arm (7.6 ± 0.6 years vs 7.8 ± 0.6 years, p = 0.006), although age was included as a control variable. High baseline activity may have limited measurable gains; students in the highest tertile gained only 4.7 min/day. COVID-19 disruptions and a shorter study duration reduced the analytic sample.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01DK114121). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Do not read the within-year increases as proof that classroom activity breaks work. The trial had no control group, and teachers delivered far less than the planned two 10-minute breaks daily.