STRUCTURED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING SCHOOL RECESS: MORE THAN PHYSICAL FITNESS BENEFITS
Abstract
Regular physical activity is associated with numerous health benefits in school children and adolescents. Therefore, it is important to create a supportive environment that promotes physical activity, especially in schools. In order to examine the effects of two recess-based interventions on children’s physical fitness and optimism, and involvement in school’s violence, a prospective study was conducted. The sample comprised of 210 primary school students attending grades one through four (101 boys, 109 girls), assigned to two Intervention groups (IG1, IG2) and a Control group (CG). For eight weeks, IG1 was provided with exercise equipment, IG2 was exposed to daily structured physical activity during recess, and CG had regular recess. Pre- and post-intervention measurements revealed significant differences (p ≤ .05) between groups in physical fitness and optimism, with IG2 (structured physical activity) scoring most favourably. In addition, the percentage of students who were not involved in peer violence as perpetrators significantly increased in IG2 during the intervention. IG1 performed the best in the agility test, and CG achieved the lowest fitness and optimism scores. No other significant differences were detected. Structured physical activity during recess might be a promising strategy of optimising students’ health and school climate.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Black, I. E., Menzel, N. N., & Bungum, T. J. (2015). The relationship among playground areas and physical activity levels in children. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 29(2), 156-68.
Casolo, A., Sagelv, E. H., Bianco, M., Casolo, F., & Galvani, C. (2019). Effects of a structured recess intervention on physical activity levels, cardiorespiratory fitness, and anthropometric characteristics in primary school children. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 19 (Suppl 5), 1796-1805. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2019.s5264
Clevenger, K. A., McNarry, M. A., Mackintosh, K. A., & Berrigan, D. (2022). Association of recess provision with elementary school-aged children's physical activity, adiposity, and cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness. Pediatric Exercise Science, 35(2), 99-106. https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.2021-0190
Coolkens, R., Ward, P., Seghers, J., & Iserbyt, P. (2018). The effect of organized versus supervised recess on elementary school children’s participation, physical activity, play, and social behavior: a cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 15(10), 747-754
Kermeci, S. & Đorđić, V. (2018). The role of recess in students’ physical activity promotion. Sports Science and Health, 16(2), 162-174.
Latorre-Román, P. A., Berrios-Aguayo, B., Aragón-Vela, J., & Pantoja-Vallejo, A. (2021). Effects of a 10-week active recess program in school setting on physical fitness, school aptitudes, creativity and cognitive flexibility in elementary school children. A randomised-controlled trial. Journal of Sports Sciences, 39(11), 1277-1286.
Eurofit (1993). Eurofit Tests of Physical Fitness. 2nd Edition. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
Ey, S., Hadley, W., Allen, D. N., Palmer, S., Klosky, J., Deptula, D., Thomas, I., & Cohen, R. (2005). A new measure of children's optimism and pessimism: the youth life orientation test. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46(5), 548-558.
Frank, M. L., Flynn, A., Farnell, G. S., & Barkley, J. E. (2018). The differences in physical activity levels in preschool children during free play recess and structured play recess. Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, 16(1), 37-42.
Greca, J. P. A., & Silva, D. A. (2017). Sedentary behavior during school recess in Southern Brazil. Perceptual Motor Skills, 124(1), 105-117.
Guthold, R., Stevens, G. A., Riley, L. M., & Bull, F. C. (2020). Global Trends in insufficient physical activity among adolescents: A pooled analysis of 298 population-based surveys with 1.6 million participants. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4, 23-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(19)30323-2
Hodges, V. C., Centeio, E. E., & Morgan, C. F. (2022). The benefits of school recess: A Systematic Review. The Journal of School Health, 92(10), 959–967. https://doi.org/10.1111 /josh.13230
Howe, C.A., Freedson, P.S., Alhassan, S., Feldman, H.A., & Osganian, S.K. (2012). A recess intervention to promote moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Pediatric Obesity, 7, 82-88.
Janssen, I., & LeBlanc, A. G. (2010). Systematic review of the health benefits of physical activity and fitness in school-aged children and youth. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 7(1), 1-16.
Jevtić, B., & Milošević, D. (2021). Identifying the dimensions of the school climate from the perspective of primary school students. Teme, 46(3), 677-692.
Larson, J. N., Brusseau, T. A., Chase, B., Heinemann, A., & Hannon, J. C. (2014). Youth physical activity and enjoyment during semi-structured versus unstructured school recess. Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 4(8), 631-639.
McNamara, L. (2021). School recess and pandemic recovery efforts: ensuring a climate that supports positive social connection and meaningful play. Facets, 6(1), 1814-1830. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2021-0081
McNamara L., Vaantaja E., Dunseith A., & Franklin N. (2015) Tales from the playground: transforming the context of recess through collaborative action research. International Journal of Play, 4(1), 49–68.
Meredith, M. D., & Welk, G. J., Eds. (2013). FITNESSGRAM/ACTIVITYGRAM Test Administration Manual. Updated Fourth Edition. The Cooper Institute.
Parrott, H. M., & Cohen, L. E. (2020). Advocating for play: The benefits of unstructured play in public schools. School Community Journal, 30(2), 229-254.
Popadić, D., Plut, D. i Pavlović, Z. (2014). Violence in schools in Serbia: Analysis of the state 2006 to 2013. [Nasilje u školama Srbije: Analiza stanja od 2006. do 2013. godine]. Beograd: Institut za psihologiju.
Ridgers, N. D., Stratton, G., & Fairclough, S. J. (2006). Physical activity levels of children during school playtime. Sports Medicine, 36(4), 359-371.
Ridgers, N. D., Fairclough, S. J., & Stratton, G. (2010). Twelve-month effects of a playground intervention on children′s morning and lunchtime physical activity levels. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 7, 167-175.
Ridgers, N. D., Stratton, G., Fairclough, S. J., & Twisk, J. W. R. (2007). Long-term effects of playground markings and physical structures on children′s recess physical activity levels. Preventive Medicine, 44, 393-397.
St Laurent, C. W., Burkart, S., & Alhassan, S. (2019). Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a recess-based fitness intervention in elementary school children. International Journal of Exercise Science, 12(4), 1225–1243.
Stratton G. (1999). A preliminary study of children’s physical activity in one urban primary school playground: differences by sex and season [Electronic version]. Journal of Sport Pedagogy, 5, 71-81.
Stratton G. (2000). Promoting children’s physical activity in primary school: An intervention study using playground markings [Electronic version]. Ergonomics, 43(10), 1538-1546.
Stratton, G., & Mullan, E. (2005). The effect of multicolor playgrounds markings on children′s physical activity level during recess. Preventive Medicine, 41, 828- 833.
Vaillancourt, T., Brittain, H., Bennett, L., Arnocky, S., McDougall, P., Hymel, S., Short, K., Sunderani, S., Scott, C., Mackenzie, M., & Cunningham, L. (2010). Places to avoid: population-based study of student reports of unsafe and high bullying areas at school. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 25(1), 40–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573509358686
Van der Niet, A. G., Smith, J., Oosterlaan, J., Scherder, E. J., Hartman, E., & Visscher, C. (2016). Effects of a cognitively demanding aerobic intervention during recess on children’s physical fitness and executive functioning. Pediatric Exercise Science, 28(1), 64-70.
Verstraete, S. J. M., Cardon, G. M., De Clerq D. L. R., & De Bourdeaudhuij, I. M. M. (2006). Increasing children′s physical activity level during recess periods in elementary schools: The effects of providing game equipment. European Journal of Public Health, 16(4), 415-419.
World Health Organization (1986). Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Geneve: Author.
World Medical Association (2013). World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. Retrieved August 25, 2022 from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1760318/
Zask, A., van Beurden, E., Barnett, L., Brooks, L. O., & Dietrich, U. C. (2001). Active playgrounds-myth or reality? Results of the “Move It Groove It” project. Preventive Medicine, 33(5), 402-408.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/TEME230503042K
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
© University of Niš, Serbia
Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC-ND
Print ISSN: 0353-7919
Online ISSN: 1820-7804