Physical activity for children in elementary schools: time for a rethink?

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Exercise Science

Background:

• The majority of children in North America do not meet international physical activity guidelines.
• Childhood inactivity is a significant public health crisis with ongoing negative health consequences.
• Existing efforts have not substantially reduced the prevalence of physical inactivity in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key barriers to widespread physical activity adoption and maintenance in children.
• To propose a novel tripartite framework to promote sufficient physical activity in elementary school children.
• To provide a basis for debate and implementation of a population-level strategy for childhood physical activity.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of acknowledged barriers to physical activity in children.
• Development of a tripartite framework integrating multiple intervention components.
• Focus on a population-level approach for elementary school-aged children.

Main Results:

• Identified multiple barriers hindering physical activity in children at a population level.
• Proposed a comprehensive tripartite framework requiring political support for implementation.
• The combined framework is hypothesized to ensure sufficient activity for all eligible children.

Conclusions:

• Individual interventions are insufficient to address the childhood inactivity crisis.
• A combined, multi-faceted approach is necessary to ensure sufficient physical activity for all elementary school children.
• The proposed tripartite framework offers a viable strategy for policy and practice change, contingent on political will.