Influence of school playground size and equipment on the physical activity of students during recess

Abstract

Children’s physical activity (PA) is increasingly restricted by the fast pace of modern life. Schools are the opportune setting in which to increase PA during daily recess. The purpose of this study was to record the degree of PA of 6th grade primary school students during recess and determine whether the playground size and available equipment can influence the degree of students’ PA. The study sample comprised of 625 12-year-old students, 324 (51.8%) boys and 301 (48.2%) girls. The PA during recess was calculated by Metabolic Equivalent Time (MET*min) using a self-reference questionnaire. The impact of schoolyard size and equipment on MET*min was evaluated by Kruskal–Wallis analysis of variance (ANOVA). The students’ PA (MET*min) during recess was higher at schools with a large schoolyard (197.55±133.15 MET*min), compared with medium size (152.65±109.23 MET*min) and small ones (117.69±104.22 MET*min), (χ2=50.629, p<0.001). Moreover, students were more physically active during recess in adequately equipped schools (187.11±124.21 MET*min), compared with partially (158.84±128.61 MET*min) or inadequately equipped ones (114.19±89.13 MET*min). This indicates a strong positive relationship between PA and equipment (χ2=21.277, p<0.001). An encouraging school environment can motivate pre-adolescent children to be more physically active and therefore healthier. These data reveal that spacious schoolyards rich in outdoor facilities can lead to more physically active behaviour among students during recess.

Okul Öncesi Çocuklarda Fiziksel Uygunlukla Doğum Ağırlığı, Gelir Düzeyi ve Okul Süresi Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi

“…Çünkü okul ortamı öğrenme/öğretme etkinliklerinin meydana geldiği, çocukların birbirleriyle iletişim/etkileşim kurduğu çevrenin yanı sıra (Karaküçük, 2008); hareket alanının artması, daha fazla keşif ve öğrenmesini etkileyerek daha hareketli bir ortam oluşturmaktadır (Kaçan, Halmatov, & Kartaltepe, 2017). Okul öncesi çocuklarda okul ortamının çocukların gelişim parametrelerini (Bayoglu, Bakar, Kutlu, Karabulut, & Anlar, 2007), okul dönemi çocukların fiziksel uygunluklarını, öğrenme yetenekleri ve sosyal yönleriyle ilişkisini ortaya koyan çalışmalar bulunmaktadır (Christodoulos et al, 2006;Delidou et al, 2016). Literatürde okul öncesi çocukların okulda geçirdikleri dönem ile fiziksel uygunlukları arasında ilişkiyi araştıran çalışmaya rastlanılmamıştır.…”

“…Literatüre bakıldığında okul dönemi çocuklarda doğum ağırlığının uzun dönemde fiziksel uygunluk üzerine etkisini (Moura-Dos-Santos et al, 2013), sosyo-ekonomik yapının fiziksel uygunluk ve spor performans seviyeleri üzerine etkisini (Goslin & Burden, 1986;Malina, Bouchard, & Bar-Or, 2004) ve okul ortamının fiziksel uygunlukla ilişkisini ortaya koyan çalışmalar bulunmasına rağmen (Christodoulos, Flouris, & Tokmakidis, 2006;Delidou, Matsouka, & Nikolaidis, 2016); okul öncesi çocuklarda konu ile ilgili çalışmalara rastlanılmamıştır. Bu nedenle bu çalışmadaki amacımız okul öncesi çocuklarda doğum ağırlığı ve ailenin gelir düzeyinin fiziksel uygunluk üzerine etkisinin yanı sıra; okuldaki dönem süresiyle ilişkisini incelemektir.…”

Computer Vision-Based Unobtrusive Physical Activity Monitoring in School by Room-Level Physical Activity Estimation: A Method Proposition

“…If one only considers the school year (September to May) and counts in recess between the classes, then it adds up to a large proportion of time spent in this specific environment. Parts of these spaces with differing attributes can facilitate more or less PA. Playground size has been shown to correlate with PA [58], but the evidence on the relation of other aspects of school architecture to PA is insufficient [59]. There is some evidence indicating playground redesigns', markings', and physical structures' positive effects on PA [60], but others have reached conflicting results [61].…”

“…There is some evidence indicating playground redesigns', markings', and physical structures' positive effects on PA [60], but others have reached conflicting results [61]. Specifically, there is a lack evidence on which kind of playground equipment and their specific features have the strongest and longest-lasting effects on PA [58]. While one should strive to design the perfect playground for increasing all students' PA, one size might not fit all.…”

Untitled

“…From the 1960's we observe changes in the dance practice of the Greeks caused by the gradual expansion of dance teaching in schools and dance clubs. The creation of the departments of physical education and sport was an important change for the study of physical education (Antoniou, Apostolakis, Anastasiaddes & Karipidis, 2009;Bebetsos & Goulimaris, 2015;Delidou, Matsouka & Nikolaidis, 2015; and dance. The departments provide students with the possibility of specialization in Greek dances.…”