Increase in Physical Activity Sustained 1 Year After Playground Intervention

Regular physical activity is a vital component of child health, and schools play an important role in the promotion of physical activity among children. This paper describes the implementation and evaluation of a playground redesign involving structural and loose play equipment to increase students' physical activity at an intermediate school in Leadville, Colorado.

Direct observations were conducted during recess before the redesign in May 2014, then again at 6 months and 1 year after the redesign. During each observation, observers scanned the playground and counted how many students were sedentary, engaged in moderate activity, or engaged in vigorous activity. System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth, a validated instrument for observing physical activity in free play settings, was used to collect observation data.

Six months from baseline, the percentage of children engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity during recess increased by 23.3%, and the percentage engaged in vigorous physical activity increased by 26.2%. These increases were sustained at 1 year from baseline, with an increase of 17.2% for moderate to vigorous physical activity and 33.1% for vigorous physical activity. Chi-square tests of independence showed that changes in the proportion of students engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity and vigorous physical activity were statistically significant (p<0.01).

This evaluation demonstrated that environmental interventions involving the provision of structural and loose play equipment can be implemented in an intermediate school setting, and can create a sustainable increase in physical activity among students during recess. This example also demonstrates that schools and community organizations can evaluate the impact of these interventions using relatively simple, low-cost observational methods.

This article is part of a supplement entitled Building Thriving Communities Through Comprehensive Community Health Initiatives, which is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Community Health.