Compulsory School In- and Outdoors—Implications for School Children’s Physical Activity and Health during One Academic Year

Peter Pagels, Anders Raustorp, Peter Guban, Andreas Fröberg and Cecilia Boldemann
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Peter Pagels: Department of Sport Sciences, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
Anders Raustorp: Department of Sport Sciences, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
Peter Guban: Center for Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Stockholm County Council, Box 1497, 171 29 Solna, Sweden
Andreas Fröberg: Department of Food and Nutrition and Sport Science, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
Cecilia Boldemann: Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden

IJERPH, 2016, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-11

Abstract: Regulated school days entail less free-living physical activity (PA) and outdoor stay, which may jeopardize the opportunities for cohesive moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and, by extension, children’s health. The role of outdoor stay during school time for pupils’ free-living PA vs. physical education (PE) and indoor stay was studied during one academic year in 196 pupils aged 7–14 years at four schools in mid-southern Sweden during five consecutive days each in September, March, and May. Actigraph GT3X+ Activity monitors were used. Predictors for PA during school stay were expressed as mean daily accelerometer counts and were measured per season, day, grade, gender, weather, and time outdoors. Overall, free-living PA outdoors generated the highest mean accelerometer counts for moderate and vigorous PA. Outdoor PA and PE, representing 23.7% of the total school time contributed to 50.4% of total mean accelerometer counts, and were the greatest contributors to moderate and vigorous PA. Age and weather impacted PA, with less PA in inclement weather and among older pupils. More time outdoors, at all seasons, would favorably increase school children’s chances of reaching recommended levels of PA.

Keywords: health; children; school environment; physical activity; physical education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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