Before-School Physical Activity Intervention in Elementary School Children

The current guidelines for physical activity recommend that children should partake in regular, moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for 60 minutes or more each day. Unfortunately, children in the U.S. are not meeting these goals. Moreover, physical inactivity in these children is considered a significant, contributing factor to childhood overweight and obesity. In addition to the importance of physical activity for overall physical health and fitness, classroom behavior, academic skills, and attention may also improve in children with increasing physical activity. There appears to be a positive association between physical activity and academic performance, mental cognition, and behavior in children, however, further research to delineate the ideal duration and intensity is warranted particularly in elementary school children. As schools in recent years have eliminated recess and/or physical education due to growing pressure to increase academic scores, creative solutions to engage children in physical activity are desperately needed. And with the vast majority of children's time spent in school, this may be the ideal location for implementing physical activity interventions.

The purpose of this pilot study is to determine the feasibility of implementing a before-school, physical activity program. Furthermore, the effect the physical activity program may have on academic performance, and health measures will also be examined through several methods.

The results of the proposed study may help design future physical activity interventions and provide insight to the relationship between physical activity and academic performance.

Inclusion criteria

• 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader currently attending Malletts Bay school
• Group A participants only: Approval to participate in a moderate to vigorous physical activity program from the child's pediatrician

Exclusion criteria

• Children will only be excluded from the study if both groups have reached their maximum capacity (n=50 in each group).
• Group A participants only: Approval to participate in a moderate to vigorous physical activity program not received from the child's pediatrician
• If a child has a known handicap and/or other medical condition and requires individualized education program (IEP) assistance, then the child may be excluded from the study if IEP accommodations are not available.