1. Instant Recess “I’m crazy for pickles, but I like Instant Recess better” --2 nd grader Diana Diamant, Kate Lundquist, and Barnaby Ohrstrom Supervised by Dr. Bob Swoap

2. Why NOW?

3. Obesity Rates in the US CDC: Approxima tely 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescent s aged 2—19 years are obese

4. What has changed? 19802008 Children w/ obesity (ages 6-11)6.5%19.6% Overweight adolescents (ages 12-19)5.0%18.1% then now

5. Physical Activity in Schools then U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: In 2006, only 8% of students were offered daily physical activity in schools

6. Why Instant Recess? "We've engineered exercise out of our daily lives. Now we have to engineer it back in.” * *Shellie Pfohl, executive director of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, & Nutrition

7. What is Instant Recess? Instant Recess (IR) is a 10-minute physical activity break designed for everyday use by everybody, anywhere, anytime, in any attire. IR –is a unique fusion of popular culture and science to promote physical and mental fitness. –involves movement of major muscle groups to increase blood flow throughout the body & burn calories. –re-invigorates teachers and students to feel more alert and increase their energy levels. Why IR? “So you don’t just be fat in a chair”— 1 st grader

8. Why Instant Recess? Why Instant Recess? “Getting kids to sit shoulder to shoulder for six hours a day is not going to do it,” Dr. Yancey said. “Even in schools that still have 30-minute periods of physical education or recess, many children get only about five minutes of moderate to vigorous activity.”

9. Everybody up! (Instant Recess: Reggae break) “IR is to get you active so you are not just sitting in a seat doing nothing.”— 1 st Grader

10. Research Questions: How easily can Instant Recess be implemented in and elementary school? What are the effects of Instant Recess on students?

11. MethodMethod

12. Procedure Determined parameters of the study Received informed consent from Principal Morgan Spoke with teachers and gauged interest Met in January and taught teachers how to do Instant Recess

13. WD Williams Elementary School Swannanoa, NC 13 out of 23 teachers participated during the 8-week study Kindergarten - 5 th Grade (all grades represented; approx. 22 students per classroom) ParticipantsParticipants

14. Data Collection Research Assistants observed classrooms before, during and after IR Teachers’ documentation When IR break was implemented Specific IR break used Teacher observations Interviews Individual students Teachers Classes

15. Data Analysis Preliminary qualitative phenomenological data analysis Triangulation-”cross-checking” information and conclusions through the use of multiple procedures or sources* Major trends in the data * Milinki, A. K. (1999). Cases in qualitative research. Los Angeles, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.

16. ResultsResults

17. Implementation Teacher participation Technology Spacing Schedule

18. Short-term Effects “It helps get the wiggles out before a test and calms me down”—2 nd grader Quick transitions back to work Increased on-task behavior Decreased hyperactivity Improved mood

19. Long-term Effects More physically fit Increased coordination Improved mood by mastery Increased understanding of Instant Recess

20. Discussion Implications Positive effect of physical activity in schools Limitations Not a random sample Time constraints Pilot study

21. Strategies to maximize IR to meet the needs of individual populations Creating more videos based on student recommendations Ease of teacher documentation Quantitative data Future Directions

22. Acknowledgements Dr. Bob Swoap Dr. Toni Yancey Principal Morgan Teachers at WD Williams Students