Less than one-third of children are engaging in sufficient physical activity and exercise while at school, according to recent research findings.
A comprehensive study monitoring 17,000 students using activity trackers revealed that only 30% of students are meeting the recommended 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day during school hours. Conducted by Bath University, the study examined 165 primary schools in England and challenged the belief that larger playgrounds lead to higher activity levels.
The research also involved equipping 2,300 teachers with activity trackers, showing that more active teachers tended to have more active students. This suggests that these teachers may be promoting or facilitating increased physical activity among their students.
Tim Hollingsworth, a sports professor at the university and former chief executive of Sport England, commented on the study’s outcomes, emphasizing the need to prioritize health and activity for children and youth. He highlighted the importance of integrating physical activity throughout the school day beyond formal sports provision.
In certain schools, students were found to engage in as little as eight minutes of MVPA, while others exceeded 40 minutes, indicating significant variations in activity levels. Step counts per student ranged from 1,800 to over 10,000 steps daily.
While boys generally exhibited higher activity levels, in 5% of schools, girls outperformed boys, with minimal differences noted in several others.
Lead author Georgina Wort underscored the health implications of the study’s findings, emphasizing the insufficient opportunities for meaningful movement within a school day. The research highlighted disparities in physical activity levels among schools, indicating that playground space alone is not a sufficient solution.
The study also revealed a gender gap in physical activity, challenging prevailing assumptions about boys being inherently more active. It emphasized the need to address health inequalities in physical activity during the school day and strive for gender equity in activity levels.
Children attending schools in economically disadvantaged areas engaged in 25 minutes less MVPA per week. Researchers suggested that staff leadership and school culture play significant roles in influencing students’ activity levels.
Co-author Professor Dylan Thompson proposed leveraging wearable technology to help teachers identify students in need of additional support and pinpoint sedentary periods during the school week. He recommended schools sharing best practices to enhance physical activity levels, with underperforming schools learning from those with higher activity levels.
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