Accelerometry-Derived Physical Activity of First Through Third Grade Children During the Segmented School Day

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Exercise Science
• School Health Programs

Background:

• Schools are encouraged to provide 30 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for children.
• Understanding which school day segments contribute to MVPA is crucial for designing effective activity promotion strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the proportion of children meeting the 30 minutes/day MVPA recommendation during school hours.
• To identify the contribution of different school day segments (class time, lunch, PE, recess) to children's overall MVPA.

Main Methods:

• Accelerometer data were collected for 323 first-to-third graders over 1-5 school days.
• Children's physical activity levels were analyzed during class time, lunch, physical education (PE), and recess.
• Participants were stratified into high-active and low-active groups to explore activity disparities.

Main Results:

• On PE days, girls and boys achieved 30.4 and 34.4 minutes/day of MVPA, respectively, with 36.5% and 44.1% meeting the 30-minute goal.
• On non-PE days, MVPA decreased to 23.5 and 27.3 minutes/day, with only 16.3% and 36.5% meeting the goal.
• Physical education (PE) and class time were the largest contributors to MVPA, while recess and lunch provided minimal activity.

Conclusions:

• A significant majority of children do not accumulate the recommended 30 minutes of daily MVPA within the school setting.
• Physical education (PE) and class time represent critical opportunities for interventions aimed at increasing children's MVPA.
• Disparities in MVPA accumulation were most pronounced during PE and class time, highlighting these as key periods for targeted support.