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

2. 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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Step Count Chart

16. BMI Chart

17. 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

18. 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.