A Playground Advisory Unit prepared individual reports containing several environmental recommendations to increase participation in physical activity to three primary schools in Sydney. This process process of providing a Kidsafe playground reports, as well as support through meetings and interviews, appears to promote environmental change in schools.
Archive for category Physical Activity
10 minute high impact activities in schools such as jumping and skipping provided twice a week for about eight months, significantly improved bone and muscle strength in healthy teenagers compared to regular warm-ups.
Watch this video on how students and teachers at a York City School add 30 games and activities by painting their playground.
This research examined the contribution of environmental correlates of active travel and overall physical activity in deprived urban neighbourhoods in Scotland. Apart from access to local amenities, environmental characteristics may have limited influence on active travel in deprived urban populations characterised by a low level of car ownership.
The Utah Department of Transportation is collaborating with teachers and parents across the state to map the safest routes for children to walk and bike to school.
The UK National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has drawn up guidelines on ways to increase the amount of physical activity children do. The recommendations includes opening school playing fields and facilities before and after hours, weekends and holidays for children. Local authorities should also coordinate the use of “non-traditional settings” such as office car parks.
Investment in safe routes to school projects: public health benefits for the larger community
Aug 27
Results suggest that The Safe Routes to School projects in urban areas can improve the walking and bicycling environment for adults as well as for children, the target users. Investment in Safe Routes To School can contribute to increased physical activity among children and adults.
Changing the playground environment produces a strong effect for younger children, and longer daily recess duration enables children to engage in more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. This study concludes that the process of increasing recess physical activity is complex.
This research from For more information on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation discusses the current trends in walking and biking to school and the lack of physical activity among chlidren that is critial to reversing the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States.
Internet-based obesity prevention programs may be an effective channel for promoting healthy diet and physical activity behaviors to youth at-risk of obesity.