Influence of Physical Activity on Elementary School Children: Challenges and Practice

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Participation in physical activity (PA) is an important determinant of health and is associated with a wide range of physical and psychosocial benefits. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children obtain at least 60min or more of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) daily; however, only 21.6%of children and adolescents 6 to 19 yr of age attain 60 or more minutes of MVPA on five or more days of the week. Children spend up to half of their waking hours in school; therefore, from a population-based approach, schools provide the best opportunity to increase PA among the nation’s youth (1). Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP) have been recommended by the CDC/Society for Health and Physical Educators and endorsed by the Institute of Medicine (1) for increasing MVPA in children (2). These programs supplement physical education (PE) with PA throughout the day and emphasize involvement of school staff, the participants’ immediate family, and the wider community. However, evidence regarding the effectiveness of CSPAP for increasing PA in children is limited and conflicting (2–8). The National Association for Sport andPhysical Education recommends that elementary schools provide 150 min and secondary schools provide 225min of PE eachweek (9). However, very few schools require daily PE or provide the amount of PA recommended by the CDC (10) and the Institute of Medicine (11). To develop successful strategies to engage elementary-aged children in PA, it is necessary to understand the current challenges associated with the delivery of PA in the school and the positive outcomes associated with PA practice or delivery. This special issue of the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicinewill provide perspectives on both the positive outcomes (cognition, academic achievement, and on-task behavior) and challenges (built environment, school PA policy, teacher implementation/ compliance, and teacher reflections) of implementing CSPAP interventions in elementary schools.