Impact of Promoting Lifestyle Activity for Youth (PLAY) on Children’s Physical Activity

Physical Activity Physical Activity- any bodily movement that increases energy expenditure above rest Physical Activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, adult onset diabetes, and some forms of cancer

Physical Activity Physical Activity is also known to: Increase Bone Density Maintain Weight Loss Improve Mental Health Reduce Depression Improve Self-Esteem

Physical Activity Children are motivated to engage in physical activity by participating in fun activities and cooperative games Girls should be especially motivated because they typically tend to be less active than boys

PLAY A study in Arizona that examined the effects of a school-based intervention called PLAY (Promoting Physical Activity for Youth on the students activity level and body mass index

PLAY Participants- 606 fourth grade students (315 girls and 291 boys) 35 schools in Arizona were selected randomly except for the no treatment group because there were a limited number of schools without a P.E. or PLAY program

PLAY Schools were divided into 4 groups: P.E. and PLAY PLAY Only P.E. Only No Treatment

Step One: Promote Play Behavior One week period 15 minutes of activity per day Children were encouraged to be active Walking was the minimum amount of activity required Children chose a pace that was comfortable for them

Step Two: Introduce Teacher-Directed Activities Three week long period Teachers introduced a new game every day during the 15 minute period Total of 15 games taught All games could be done outside of school and with minimal equipment

Step Three: Encourage Self- Directed Activity Eight week period Encouraged students to have 30 minutes of activity outside of school per day Idea was to help students become responsible for becoming physically active on a regular basis

Step Three (cont) During this three week period, students wrote their daily activities (non sedentary) on the PLAY log sheet Students in the no treatment group recorded their daily activities as well, including sedentary activities

The Last Step Data was collected over three weeks The 15 minutes of activity per day were discontinued Children wore pedometers for four days in a row Every morning at school the count number was recorded and the pedometer was given back to the student

The Last Step (cont) After turning in the pedometers, students completed surveys The surveys were to monitor missing or unusual data unusual = 6,000 steps different from previous day BMI was also measured

Results Groups participating in Play & PE or Play Only had higher step counts and lower BMI’s Boys were slightly higher than girls in steps and lower in BMI Girls who were in Play & PE, Play Only, or PE Only scored significantly higher than those who were not

Step Count Chart

BMI Chart

The Future Study shows that these programs are effective Students should have 15 minutes of class time for physical activity per day Teachers should incorporate physical activities into lessons

Resources Beighle, A., Pangrazi, R., Vack, C., Vehige, T. (2003) Impact of Promoting Lifestyle Activity for Youth on Children’s Physical Activity. Journal of School Health Vol. 73 Issue 8 p317 Retrieved June 9, 2005 from EBSCOhost Rosen, E., Weinstein, E. (2003) Teaching Children About Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach 2nd edition. Thomson Learning Inc.