Restricting Play During the School Day: The Negative Impact on Physical Activity Patterns in Children

Abstract

Purpose: Outlets for physical activity in the form of recess and physical education are being cut from our public-school curricula at the same time obesity and chronic disease are on the rise in our children. The purpose of this study was to compare children's physical activity level with and without structured opportunities for movement throughout the school day. We hypothesized that children's total physical activity during a school day would be significantly higher on days that included recess, physical education or music and that their physical activity would be significantly diminished on days they stayed in the classroom with no access to self-selected physical activity or structured physical activity in their course work. In addition, we hypothesized that gender and children's BMI would be associated with physical activity levels.Methods: Twenty-four kindergarten students were fitted with waist worn accelerometers. Three school day interventions were implemented: 1) Typical classroom time with the addition of physical education and recess, 2) Typical classroom time with the addition of music and recess and 3) Classroom time only for the duration of the school day. Using a crossover design, each subject was his or her own control. Each structured school day was repeated twice for a total of six days. Results: Physical activity as measured by the accelerometer was significantly greater on days when children had both physical education and recess and on days when children had music and recess when compared to an inactive day (p<0.0001). There was not a statistically significant effect of gender or BMI on physical activity in this sample. Conclusion: This study highlights how recess, physical education and music can significantly add to kindergarten children's accumulation of necessary and recommended daily physical activity. BMI and gender had no effect on physical activity in kindergarten children.