Recess environment and curriculum intervention on children's physical activity: IPLAY.

Understanding the impacts of the built environment on physical activity (PA) is essential to promoting children's PA. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of schoolyard renovations and a PA recess curriculum alone and in combination on children's PA. This was a 2 (learning landscape [LL] vs. non-LL) × 2 (curriculum intervention vs. no curriculum intervention) factorial design with random assignment to the curriculum intervention, and six elementary schools per condition. PA outcomes were assessed preprogram, mid-program, immediate postprogram, and one year postprogram. No meaningful intervention effects were found. Lack of an effect may be due to the brief dose of recess, the curriculum not being integrated within the schoolyard, the LL implementation occurring prior to the study, or the already high levels of PA. Potential avenues to promote PA include making recess longer, integrating recess into the school curricula, and developing recess PA curricula integrating schoolyards.

What Matters When Children Play: Influence of Social Cognitive Theory and Perceived Environment on Levels of Physical Activity Among Elementary-Aged Youth.

OBJECTIVES: Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) has often been used as a guide to predict and modify physical activity (PA) behavior. We assessed the ability of commonly investigated SCT variables and perceived school environment variables to predict PA among elementary students. We also examined differences in influences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic students. DESIGN: This analysis used baseline data collected from eight schools who participated in a four-year study of a combined school-day curriculum and environmental intervention. METHODS: Data were collected from 393 students. A 3-step linear regression was used to measure associations between PA level, SCT variables (self-efficacy, social support, enjoyment), and perceived environment variables (schoolyard structures, condition, equipment/supervision). Logistic regression assessed associations between variables and whether students met PA recommendations. RESULTS: School and sex explained 6% of the moderate-to-vigorous PA models' variation. SCT variables explained an additional 15% of the models' variation, with much of the model's predictive ability coming from self-efficacy and social support. Sex was more strongly associated with PA level among Hispanic students, while self-efficacy was more strongly associated among non-Hispanic students. Perceived environment variables contributed little to the models. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings add to the literature on the influences of PA among elementary-aged students. The differences seen in the influence of sex and self-efficacy among non-Hispanic and Hispanic students suggests these are areas where PA interventions could be tailored to improve efficacy. Additional research is needed to understand if different measures of perceived environment or perceptions at different ages may better predict PA.

Establishing and evaluating wrist cutpoints for the GENEActiv accelerometer in youth.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to establish physical activity (PA) intensity cutpoints for a wrist-mounted GENEActiv accelerometer (ACC) in elementary school-age children. A second purpose was to apply cutpoints to a free-living sample and examine the duration of PA based on continuous 1-s epochs. METHODS: Metabolic and ACC data were collected during nine typical activities in 24 children age 6-11 yr. Measured VO2 values were divided by Schofield-estimated resting values to determine METs. ACC data were collected at 75 Hz, band pass filtered, and averaged over each 1-s interval. Receiver operator characteristic curves were used to establish cutpoints at sedentary (≤ 1.5 METs), light (1.6-2.99 METs), moderate (3.0-5.99 METs), and vigorous (≥ 6 METs) activities. These cutpoints were applied to a free-living independent data set to quantify the amount of moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA) and to examine how bout length (1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 60 s) affected the accumulation of MVPA. RESULTS: Receiver operator characteristic yielded areas under the curve of 0.956, 0.946, and 0.940 for sedentary, moderate, and vigorous intensities, respectively. Cutpoints for sedentary, moderate, and vigorous intensities were 0.190 g, 0.314 g, and 0.998 g, respectively. Intensity classification accuracies ranged from 27.6% (light) to 88.7% (vigorous) when cutpoints were applied to the calibration data. When applied to free-living data (n = 47 children age 6-11 yr), estimated daily MVPA was 308 min and decreased to 14.3 min when only including 1-min periods of continuous MVPA. CONCLUSIONS: Cutpoints that quantify movements associated with moderate-vigorous intensity, when applied to a laboratory protocol, result in large amounts of accumulated MVPA using the 1-s epoch compared to prior studies, highlighting the need for representative calibration activities and free-living validation of cutpoints and epoch length selection.

A microgeographic analysis of physical activity behavior within elementary school grounds.

PURPOSE: There is little scholarship on physical activity among children within outdoor spaces and work is needed to advance the design of these spaces from "best practices" towards evidence-based design. This project examined how playground feature density relates to children's physical activity. DESIGN: We used the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity to observe children's physical activity. SETTING: We observed children during school recess on 24 school grounds in the Denver metropolitan area of Colorado, in spring of 2010 and 2011. SUBJECTS: A total of 31,069 observations were made from an estimated 9900 children aged 5 to 12. These were aggregated and analyzed in 397 playground zones. MEASURES: We examined utilization, the number of children present in a particular activity zone during an observation, and the percentage of children engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity as they relate to the density of constructed features on school playgrounds. ANALYSIS: Ordinary least-squares linear regression model assessed the relationship between playground feature density and the utilization and moderate to vigorous physical activity. RESULTS: Significant positive associations were observed between utilization and feature density among all children (ß = .20; p < .001) and a statistically significant but small association was observed between moderate to vigorous physical activity and feature density for girls (ß = .12; p = .013), but not for boys. CONCLUSION: This analysis contributes to evidence that design features of play spaces may influence children's behavior within school grounds.

An assessment of schoolyard features and behavior patterns in children's utilization and physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Careful research that elucidates how behavior relates to design in the context of elementary school grounds can serve to guide cost-efficient design with the goal of encouraging physical activity (PA). This work explores patterns in children's PA behavior within playground spaces with the specific goal of guiding healthy playground design. METHODS: Data on children's utilization and PA behavior in 6 playgrounds divided into 106 observation zones were collected in 2005 and 2006 at Denver elementary school playgrounds using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth. Analyses of variance and t tests determined whether there were differences in utilization and behavior patterns across observations zones and between genders. RESULTS: This study provides evidence that children prefer to use certain types of playground zones and that they are more likely to practice moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in some zones. The authors observed statistically significant differences between genders. Boys were more likely to engage in MVPA in zones without equipment, girls were more likely to use zones with equipment. CONCLUSIONS: This work suggests that the inclusion or omission of specific playground features may have an impact on the way that children use the spaces.

Accuracy of self-reported height and weight in children aged 6 to 11 years.

The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of first-, third-, and fifth-graders to accurately self-report height and weight. Self-reported and measured values for height and weight were recorded for 487 students. The ability to self-report a reasonable value for height and weight improved with grade level, but children in all 3 grade levels significantly underreported their height and weight. Only fifth-graders accurately self-reported their weight; therefore, using self-reported height and weight to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity for elementary school-aged children is not recommended.

An assessment of schoolyard renovation strategies to encourage children's physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Children in poor and minority neighborhoods often lack adequate environmental support for healthy physical development and community interventions designed to improve physical activity resources serve as an important approach to addressing obesity. In Denver, the Learning Landscapes (LL) program has constructed over 98 culturally-tailored schoolyard play spaces at elementary schools with the goal to encourage utilization of play spaces and physical activity. In spite of enthusiasm about such projects to improve urban environments, little work has evaluated their impact or success in achieving their stated objectives. This study evaluates the impacts of LL construction and recency of renovation on schoolyard utilization and the physical activity rates of children, both during and outside of school, using an observational study design. METHODS: This study employs a quantitative method for evaluating levels of physical activity of individuals and associated environmental characteristics in play and leisure environments. Schools were selected on the basis of their participation in the LL program, the recency of schoolyard renovation, the size of the school, and the social and demographic characteristics of the school population. Activity in the schoolyards was measured using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity (SOPLAY), a validated quantitative method for evaluating levels of physical activity of individuals in play and leisure environments. Trained observers collected measurements before school, during school recess, after school, and on weekends. Overall utilization (the total number of children observed on the grounds) and the rate of activity (the percentage of children observed who were physically active) were analyzed. Observations were compared using t-tests and the data were stratified by gender for further analysis. In order to assess the impacts of LL renovation, recently-constructed LL schoolyards were compared to LL schoolyards with older construction, as well as un-renovated schoolyards. RESULTS: Overall utilization was significantly higher at LL schools than at un-renovated schools for most observation periods. Notably, LL renovation had no impact on girl's utilization on the weekends, although differences were observed for all other periods. There were no differences in rates of activity for any comparison. With the exception of the number of boys observed, there was no statistically significant difference in activity when recently-constructed LL schools are compared to LL schools with older construction dates and there was no difference observed in comparisons of older LL with unrenovated sites. CONCLUSIONS: While we observed greater utilization and physical activity in schools with LL, the impact of specific features of LL renovation is not clear. However, schoolyard renovation and programs to encourage schoolyard use before and after school may offer a means to encourage greater physical activity among children, and girls in particular. Additional study of schoolyard renovation may shed light on the specific reasons for these findings or suggest effective policies to improve the physical activity resources of poor and minority neighborhoods.

Early effects of the federally mandated Local Wellness Policy on school nutrition environments appear modest in Colorado's rural, low-income elementary schools.

To increase opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity, US school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program were required to create a Local Wellness Policy (LWP) by June 2006. The What's Working project described the initial influence of this mandate on nutrition environments and policies. In 2005 and 2007 (before and after the mandate went into effect), a survey about school features related to nutrition and physical activity was sent to a random sample of 45 low-income, rural elementary foodservice managers and principals. Schools averaged 204 students, 27% Hispanic. Districts' LWPs were coded for strength and comprehensiveness. In addition, key informant interviews were conducted with foodservice managers almost 2 years after the LWP went into effect. Three improvements were observed: increases in the percent of schools with policies stipulating predominantly healthy items be offered in classroom parties (21.4% in 2005 vs 48.7% in 2007), daily fresh fruit offerings in the lunchroom (0.80 choices in 2005 vs 1.15 choices in 2007), and the percent of schools using skinless poultry (27% in 2005 vs 59% in 2007). LWPs were weakly worded and rarely addressed energy content. Nutrition guideline elements most commonly addressed included vending machines, school stores, and à la carte food offerings. Seveny-three percent of foodservice managers were familiar with their district's LWP but did not perceive it changed lunchroom practices. Although LWPs offer a framework to support opportunities for healthy eating, few evidence-based practices were implemented as a direct result of the mandate. Schools need more information about evidence-based practices, as well as technical and financial assistance for implementation.

Influence of schoolyard renovations on children's physical activity: the Learning Landscapes Program.

OBJECTIVES: We examined whether schoolyard improvements led to increased physical activity levels among both boys and girls and assessed the aspects of schoolyard design that have an impact on physical activity. METHODS: In a quasi-experimental research design, 6 schools with renovated schoolyards and 3 control schools were divided into activity areas. We calculated measures of children's physical activity by area during school hours as well as after-school hours. RESULTS: The volume of schoolyard use was significantly higher at schools with renovated schoolyards than at control schools, and students were significantly more active at these schools. Also, activity levels were significantly higher among both boys and girls in certain schoolyard areas, such as those with soft surfaces. CONCLUSIONS: Because few public elementary schools in the United States provide daily physical education or its equivalent for all students throughout the school year, noncurriculum approaches to increasing children's physical activity are important. Renovated schoolyards increase the number of children who are physically active, as well as their overall activity levels, and reduce sedentary behaviors.