A Systematic Review of the Implementation and Effectiveness of ‘The Daily Mile’ on Markers of Children’s Health

Luke Hanna (), Con Burns, Cian O’Neill and Edward Coughlan
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Luke Hanna: Department of Sport, Leisure and Childhood Studies, Munster Technological University, Bishopstown, T12 P928 Cork, Ireland
Con Burns: Department of Sport, Leisure and Childhood Studies, Munster Technological University, Bishopstown, T12 P928 Cork, Ireland
Cian O’Neill: Department of Sport, Leisure and Childhood Studies, Munster Technological University, Bishopstown, T12 P928 Cork, Ireland
Edward Coughlan: Department of Sport, Leisure and Childhood Studies, Munster Technological University, Bishopstown, T12 P928 Cork, Ireland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 13, 1-28

Abstract: Currently, a high percentage of children globally fail to meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended daily physical activity (PA) guidelines. The Daily Mile (TDM) is a school-based PA initiative, designed to improve primary school children’s PA behaviour. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the extant TDM implementation process and identify its impact on health-related metrics. Three databases were used to search for articles from the time TDM originated in 2012 until February 2022. The identification and screening process of articles for their ability to meet this review’s eligibility criteria were facilitated by use of PRISMA and Rayyan. Sixteen articles from the initial search (n = 202) were deemed eligible for inclusion. An analysis of these articles identified five common outcome categories that permeated throughout the research articles: (1) cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF); (2) anthropometry and body composition; (3) PA; (4) cognition; and (5) process evaluation. Results presented from the included articles suggests TDM positively impacts markers of a variety of health-related metrics, namely CRF and PA. However, implementation barriers including TDM’s repetitive nature, time constraints associated with competing curriculum demands and inadequate facilities regularly necessitate the adaptation and development of the original TDM format by schools and teachers.

Keywords: health; physical activity; initiative; implementation process (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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