Levels of Physical Activity during School Hours in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Alberto Grao-Cruces, María J. Velázquez-Romero and Fernando Rodríguez-Rodríguez
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Alberto Grao-Cruces: Department of Physical Education, GALENO Research Group, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cadiz, Puerto Real, 11519 Cadiz, Spain
María J. Velázquez-Romero: Department of Physical Education, GALENO Research Group, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cadiz, Puerto Real, 11519 Cadiz, Spain
Fernando Rodríguez-Rodríguez: IRyS Research Group, School of Physical Education, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, 2374631 Valparaiso, Chile

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-23

Abstract: Background: This systematic review determines the levels of physical activity (PA) during school hours in children and adolescents. Methods: Studies carried out from January 1987 to December 2019 were retrieved from four databases (Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus and SportDiscus). Results: Twenty-nine studies were included in this systematic review. Most of them used accelerometers and showed that male and female children accumulated a mean of between 14 and 68 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during school hours (3–22% of this daily segment), and male and female adolescents accumulated a mean of between 13 and 28 min of MVPA during this daily segment (3–8% of the school hours). Less than a quarter of children and adolescents reached the recommended 30 min of MVPA during school hours, with notable differences between sexes. Conclusions: These results suggest that the levels of PA during school hours are not enough, and consequently, schools should develop strategies for helping children and adolescents reach the school PA recommendation.

Keywords: primary education; secondary education; school schedule; recommendations; students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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