Feasibility and Acceptability of a Classroom-based Active Breaks Intervention for 8–12-Year Old Children

Abstract Background Physical inactivity is worldwide considered one of the biggest public health problems of the 21st century. WHO recommended in children, at least 60 minute of Moderate Vigorous Physical activity (MVPA) per day, but low percentages comply with guidelines. Considering that children spend many hours at school, classroom is the ideal setting to increase their PA. Active Breaks (AB) are a 5-15-minute bouts of PA led by the teachers during academic lessons. The aim of the Imola AB study is to implement a 1-year intervention based on AB (10min/3per-day) in primary school as a new strategy to reduce inactivity. We present the baseline results. Methods Quasi-experimental pre-post study in 6-10aged primary school children, in Imola(Italy).We evaluated PA level with Actigraph accelerometers: time (in minutes) spent in MVPA Weekly and Daily (W-MVPA; D-MVPA) and Weekly Sedentary behaviours (W-SB). Results We recruited 152 children: N = 110 in Active Breaks experimental group (AB) and N = 42 in control group (CG). Actigraph's analysis showed that 42,5% of children in the ABG vs 31.0% in the CG reach the WHO recommendation (p=ns). We investigated baseline differences between groups using ANOVA dividing children by grade. In 3-4 grades: W-MVPA (AB = 318.3±15.5 vs CG = 310.4±98.0 p = 0.78); D-MVPA (AB = 53.0±20.3 vs CG = 51.8±16.3 p = 0.79);W-SB (AB = 6,687.5±375.3 vs CG = 6,754.7±281.0 p = 0.45). In 1grade: W-MVPA (AB = 376.1±127.9 vs CG = 300.3±120.0 p = 0.02); D-MVPA (AB = 62.7±21.3 vs CG = 50.0±20.0 p = 0.02); W-SB (AB = 6,436.0±496.0 vs CG = 6,373.3 ±1,532.0 p = 0.7). Conclusions Only the 39.2% of the total sample met the 60-minute/day of MVPA recommended. We found no significant baseline differences in PA level measured by Actigraph between CG and AB, excepted in 1 grade. The intervention implemented in the Imola AB study could be a good strategy to reduce sedentary in children and reach the WHO recommendation, thus contributing to the aims of the new Global Action Plan on PA 2018-2030. Key messages Less than 50% reach the WHO recommendations of PA. AB implemented in the Imola Study could be a public health school-based strategy to reduce sedentary and increase healthy behavior in children. Active breaks (AB) are emerging as a good strategy to increase the PA level, reducing the time in sedentary habits.

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Physically Active Breaks in the Teaching Process

Collegium Antropologicum ◽

10.5671/ca.45.3.7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 45 (3) ◽

pp. 235-242

Author(s):

Ivan Holik ◽

Vesna Štemberger ◽

Petra Pejić Papak ◽

Vilko Petrić ◽

Matea Kitak

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Educational Achievement ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Educational Process ◽

T Test ◽

Control Group ◽

Teaching Process ◽

Physically Active ◽

Active Breaks ◽

The Impact

The aim of this research is to study the impact of physically active breaks, accompanied by video materials, on the level of pupils’ educational achievement and their attitudes toward physically active breaks during the teaching process in the classroom. The research lasted for two months, and the apposite sample consisted of a total of 38 pupils aged 10 to 11. The influence of physically active breaks on the educational achievement was estimated by the percentage of correct answers in the tasks of mathematics, while the Croatian version of the questionnaire Attitudes towards the Physical Activity Scale (APAS) was used for evaluating the attitudes toward physically active breaks with video materials. Differ ences between the initial and final measuring inside the same group were tested by the Student’s dependent sample t-test, while for differences between the experimental and control group the Student’s independent sample t-test was used. The obtained results showed that the ability to solve mathematical tasks in the experimental group has significantly improved when compared to the control one and that physically active breaks have a positive influence on the pupils’ attitudes toward physical activity. The implementation of physically active breaks into teaching has an impact on pupils’ productivity in the educational process, while at the same time their need for movement is fulfilled.

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Aprendo Moviéndome: programa de descansos activos para educación primaria

SPORT TK-Revista EuroAmericana de Ciencias del Deporte ◽

10.6018/sportk.440761 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 107-135

Author(s):

Virtudes Peláez-Flor ◽

Alejandro Prieto-Ayuso

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Primary Education ◽

World Health ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Sedentary Behaviors ◽

Royal Decree ◽

Warm Up ◽

Health Organization ◽

Educación Primaria ◽

Active Breaks

El ámbito educativo es uno de los pilares fundamentales a través del cual el sedentarismo puede ser combatido. En este sentido, la asignatura de Educación Física es considerada como pieza clave para aumentar los niveles de actividad física en los alumnos. Sin embargo, debido a que las propias clases de Educación Física resultan insuficientes para aumentar los niveles de actividad física recomendados por la Organización Mundial de la Salud, surgen los descansos activos, cuyo objetivo principal es reducir las conductas sedentarias y la obesidad en los alumnos, por medio de AF estructurada en las aulas. Así pues, el objetivo principal del presente trabajo es presentar un programa de descansos activos para Educación Primaria, titulado Aprendo Moviéndome. Con este programa, se pretende ofrecer un nuevo recurso al profesorado de Educación Primaria a través del cual poder aplicar breves sesiones de actividad física con los alumnos para poder lograr beneficios como la mejora de salud, la atención, el comportamiento o el rendimiento académico, entre otros. El programa Aprendo Moviéndome está compuesto por ocho sesiones de descansos activos de una duración de entre 10 y 12 minutos, diseñados para trabajar en clase o en el patio del colegio durante el horario lectivo por el maestro. Las sesiones han sido diseñadas para trabajar contenidos curriculares pertenecientes al Real Decreto 126/2014 de Educación Primaria. Cada descanso activo está dividido en tres partes: calentamiento, desarrollo y vuelta a la calma. Como prospectiva de investigación se recomienda la aplicación del programa a un contexto real, con el propósito de conocer fortalezas y debilidades del mismo. The educational context is one of the fundamental pillars through which sedentary lifestyle can be reduced. In that sense, Physical Education is considered a key element to increase physical activity levels in children. However, due to the fact that only the PE subject is insufficient to increase the PA levels recommended by the World Health Organization, active breaks emerged. The main objective of active breaks is to reduce sedentary behaviors and obesity in students, through structured physical activity in classrooms. Thus, the main objective of this work is to present an active break program for Primary Education, entitled Aprendo Moviéndome. With this program, it is intended to offer a new resource to primary teachers through which they can apply short physical activity sessions with students, with the purpose to achieve benefits related to health, attention, behavior or academic performance, among others. The Aprendo Moviéndome program is made up of eight sessions between ten and 12 minutes. It has been designed to be conducted in class or in the schoolyard during school hours by the teacher. The sessions have been designed to work on curricular content belonging to Royal Decree 126/2014 of Primary Education. Each session is divided into three parts: warm-up, development, and cool down. As prospective investigation, the application of the program to a real context is recommended, with the purpose of knowing its strengths and weaknesses.

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Theories of Vigilance and the Prospect of Cognitive Restoration

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1071181319631506 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 1639-1643

Author(s):

Jace Flanagan ◽

Dan Nathan-Roberts

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Well Being ◽

Resource Theory ◽

Cognitive Resources ◽

Vigilance Decrement ◽

Cognitive Resource ◽

Cognitive Resource Theory ◽

Rest Breaks ◽

Active Breaks ◽

Over Time

Effectively mitigating the vigilance decrement (the decrease in performance on tasks requiring sustained attention over time) is one of the most important human factors problems studied today. Despite this, the underlying theory of vigilance and its failings are still disputed. The two primary theories espoused by researchers today are a cognitive resource theory of vigilance and a mindlessness theory of vigilance. This literature review examines the literature investigating points of conflict between these theories, revealing that the majority of experimental research supports a cognitive resource theory of vigilance. Additionally, we examine research investigating the effect of active rest breaks on cognitive and affective restoration. The literature available on cognitive restoration does not support the suggestion that active rest breaks help restore vigilance-relevant cognitive resources more effectively than passive rest breaks. The research does however, support the proposition that more active rest breaks can reduce stress and increase affect. The potential for increasing worker well-being with more active breaks warrants additional research.

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Attitudes of university students towards classroom physical activity breaks in the Netherlands

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.430 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

C De Bot ◽

M Brands ◽

E Kremers ◽

E van Ewijk ◽

J Dierx

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

University Students ◽

Stress Reduction ◽

Online Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Physical Activity Guidelines ◽

Active Breaks ◽

Climbing Stairs

Abstract Background Regular physical activity has multiple benefits for physical, mental, and psychosocial, however many students do not meet the national physical activity guidelines. Classroom physical activity can help students be more physically active. This study investigated the attitude of university students towards classroom physical activity breaks in a university of applied science setting Methods Within this research a mixed methods design have been applied. A online survey was completed by 2016 students an semi-structured interviews were conducted among 19 students. Results A total of 2016 students successfully completed the questionnaire with a mean of 18-21 year (67%) and 52 % female. No classroom physical activity breaks were used during the lessons. In addition, almost half of the students are not able to concentrate well during the classes. Students (39%) noticed that physical activity during classes had a positive influence on their concentration. The majority of the students are open to activating forms of teaching at universities of applied sciences (69%). Students have a clear preference for active breaks, curriculum-focused active breaks. Physical activities such as climbing stairs, sports exercises are not students preferred activities. Conclusions Implementing classroom physical activity breaks can improve student physical activity and concentration during school and behavior in the classroom. Activities such as climbing stairs, intense aerobic exercise were perceived as inconvenient. Active breaks, curriculum-focused active breaks were acknowledged by students. Key messages Keep physical activity breaks short and manageable. Physical activity breaks can help in stress reduction and improving psychological well-being.

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Positive and Negative Changes in Food Habits, Physical Activity Patterns, and Weight Status during COVID-19 Confinement: Associated Factors in the Chilean Population

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17155431 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (15) ◽

pp. 5431 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Daniela Reyes-Olavarría ◽

Pedro Ángel Latorre-Román ◽

Iris Paola Guzmán-Guzmán ◽

Daniel Jerez-Mayorga ◽

Felipe Caamaño-Navarrete ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Weight ◽

Food Habits ◽

Weight Status ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

The Body ◽

Weight Increase ◽

Inverse Association ◽

Body Weight Increase ◽

Active Breaks

The association between the changes in lifestyle during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) confinement and body weight have not been studied deeply. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine lifestyle changes, such as eating habits and physical activity (PA) patterns, caused by confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and to analyze its association with changes in body weight. Seven hundred participants (women, n = 528 and men, n = 172) aged between 18–62 years old of the Chilean national territory participated in the study. Food habits, PA, body weight, and sociodemographic variables were measured through a survey in May and June 2020. The body weight increase presented positive association with the consumption of fried foods ≥ 3 times per week (OR; 3.36, p < 0.001), low water consumption (OR; 1.58, p = 0.03), and sedentary time ≥6 h/day (OR; 1.85, p = 0.01). Conversely, fish consumed (OR; 0.67, p = 0.03), active breaks (OR; 0.72, p = 0.04), and PA ≥ 4 times per week (OR; 0.51, p = 0.001) presented an inverse association with body weight increase. Daily alcohol consumption (OR; 4.77, p = 0.003) was associated with PA decrease. Food habits, PA, and active breaks may be protective factors for weight increase during COVID-19 confinement.

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