Evidence-Based Overview of Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity during School Recess: An Updated Systematic Review

Sergio Pulido Sánchez and Damián Iglesias Gallego
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Sergio Pulido Sánchez: Physical Education & Exercise Lab, Teacher Training College, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Damián Iglesias Gallego: Physical Education & Exercise Lab, Teacher Training College, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Interest in analyzing physically active behaviors during school recesses has grown in recent years as the school environment has consolidated (recess, physical education classes, lunch-time, before and after school) as a crucial space to bring these levels towards those recommended through intervention programs and improvements in the school environment. Unfortunately, in most of these studies, children do not achieve the 60 min a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) recommended by the World Health Organization. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intervention studies objectively measured with accelerometers that have emerged in recent years to determine the amount of MVPA of children at recess. This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines. The extraction process for the studies included in this systematic review yielded a total of 43 articles. The studies were classified according to the methodological nature of the research: cross-sectional ( n = 34), longitudinal ( n = 3) and quasi-experimental ( n = 6). The results of the studies confirm that during the recess period younger children are physically more active than older ones and that in general, boys are more physically active than girls. In addition, the data show that the school contributes to more than 40% of the total MVPA. The intervention programs led to an increase in MVPA of up to 5%. Providing schools with equipment and facilities shows that intervention programs are beneficial for raising children’s levels of physical activity.

Keywords: physical activity; school recess; children; adolescents; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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