The Effectiveness of Equipment Provisions on Rural Middle School Students’ Physical Activity During Lunch Recess

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-295
Author(s):  
Hyeonho Yu ◽  
Pamela H. Kulinna ◽  
Shannon C. Mulhearn

Background: Environmental provisions can boost students’ discretionary participation in physical activity (PA) during lunchtime at school. This study investigated the effectiveness of providing PA equipment as an environmental intervention on middle school students’ PA levels and stakeholders’ perceptions of the effectiveness of equipment provisions during school lunch recess. Methods: A baseline–intervention research design was used in this study with a first baseline phase followed by an intervention phase (ie, equipment provision phase). A total of 514 students at 2 middle schools (school 1 and school 2) in a rural area of the western United States were observed directly using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth instrument. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders. Paired-sample t tests and visual analysis were conducted to explore differences in PA levels by gender, and common comparison (with trustworthiness measures) was used with the interview data. Results: The overall percentage of moderate to vigorous PA levels was increased in both schools (ranging from 8.0% to 24.0%). In school 2, there was a significant difference in seventh- and eighth-grade students’ moderate to vigorous PA levels from the baseline. Three major themes were identified: (1) unmotivated, (2) unequipped, and (3) unquestionable changes (with students becoming more active). Conclusions: Environmental supports (access, equipment, and supervision) significantly and positively influenced middle school students’ lunchtime PA levels.

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisol Gonzalez ◽  
Ronald Feinstein ◽  
Carina Iezzi ◽  
Martin Fisher

Abstract Purpose: The threat of childhood obesity has never been greater. Behavior changes implemented during childhood and adolescence are believed to be the most successful means of thwarting the progression of this epidemic. The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed a public health campaign that promotes awareness of clinical guidelines for nutrition and physical activity. The campaign is based on a concept developed by the Maine Center for Public Health referred to as “5-2-1-0 Healthy”. The simple clear message of this concept outlines steps families can take to help prevent and treat childhood obesity. The purpose of the present study is to determine the current level of compliance and health education needs of a middle school population related to the “5-2-1-0” concept. Methods: A modified version of the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) was distributed to students at a private, nonsectarian, middle school in New York City. The school is located in the borough of Manhattan, but includes youngsters from all five boroughs of the city. The questions were grouped and analyzed according to “5-2-1-0” categories. Surveys were scored, and the association between targeted questionnaire items and demographic variables (i.e., sex and grade) was examined. Results: All 140 students completed the survey, and there was great variability in their responses to both the nutrition and physical activity questions. Of all students, 65% reported eating one cup or more of fruit daily, and 38% reported eating one cup or more of vegetables daily. There was no statistically significant difference reported in consumption of fruits or vegetables by gender or grade. Over 60% of students indicated <2 h of DVD/video or computer/video game time per day, while 10% indicated more than 3 h per day for each. A significant difference existed in the screen time reported between grades (more screen time by the older students) and a statistically significant difference also existed in the amount of physical activity reported by gender and grade (more physical activity by males and younger students). There was no difference in the reported consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by gender or grade. Conclusion: In a cohort of middle school students in New York City, there was great variability in compliance with the principles represented by the “5-2-1-0” concept. Changes in health behaviors were noted as students went from 6th to 7th to 8th grade, with physical activity decreasing and screen time increasing. Consequently, health curriculum topics for middle school students should focus on physical activity and screen time, while continuing to emphasize the need for proper nutrition.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6932
Author(s):  
Sisi Chen ◽  
Walter King Yan HO ◽  
Md. Dilsad Ahmed

This study examined the association between physical activity (PA) levels and life satisfaction for middle school students from Macau, Taipei, and Qianjiang. A total of 1002 middle school students (grades 7 to 9) were recruited in 2015 from three cities (Macau, N = 322; Taipei, N = 325; and Qianjiang, N = 355). Physical Activity Rank Scale-3 was used to evaluate the frequency, intensity, and duration of the PA. Further, students’ PA behaviors and life satisfaction were assessed using the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) devised by Zhang. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, t-test, and one-way ANOVA were conducted to process the data. In both Macau and Taipei, the life satisfaction of adolescents was significantly associated with adolescents’ amount of PA (p < 0.05). A significant relationship was observed between self-satisfaction and PA in students from both Macau and Taipei (p < 0.05). The study results indicate the importance of life experience in PA. The more PA that a student engaged in, the higher the level of life satisfaction they obtained. There was a significant difference in the overall life satisfaction among adolescents in Macau, Taipei, and Qianjiang.


Author(s):  
David S. Phillips ◽  
James C. Hannon ◽  
Bradley B. Gregory ◽  
Ryan D. Burns

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the acute effect of vigorous physical activity on executive control in eighth grade students from the U.S. Participants were eighth grade students (N = 68; 26 girls, 42 boys) recruited from one middle school located in the Mountain West region of the U.S. Two groups of participants were assigned to receive either a vigorous physical activity or a sedentary condition within a counter-balanced cross-over design using a 2-week washout. Both groups were administered Trails Making Tests A (TMT-A) and B (TMT-B) at 20- and 25-min post-treatment, respectively. Mixed design ANOVA tests with repeated measures examined differences between treatments on TMT-A and TMT-B performance and the modifying effect of sex. Students who completed the physical activity condition displayed a faster time to completion on the TMT-B compared to students who completed the sedentary condition (Mean difference = −6.5 s, p = 0.026, d = 0.42). There were no differences between treatment groups on TMT-A and no sex × treatment interactions (p > 0.05). This pilot study suggests that vigorous physical activity may improve executive control in middle-school students and adds to the existent literature that continues to examine the emerging link between physical activity and cognition in school-based settings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yubing Wang ◽  
Ang Chen

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the extent to which a concept-based physical education curriculum, specifically the Science of Healthful Living (SHL) curriculum, influenced middle school students’ knowledge, motivation for physical education (PE) and physical activity (PA), and out-of-school PA. Methods: A static group comparison design was adopted to analyze the differences on fitness knowledge, autonomous motivation for PE and PA, and out-of-school PA between eighth-grade students who studied the SHL curriculum (the experimental condition, n = 168) and their peers who studied a multiactivity PE (the control condition, n = 226) 1 year earlier. Results: The students who studied the SHL curriculum demonstrated significantly higher levels of knowledge (p < .05, Cohen d = 0.81), autonomous motivation toward PA (p < .05, Cohen d = 0.20), and out-of-school PA (p < .05, Mann–Whitney U effect size = 0.01) than students who had experienced the multiactivity PE. The students in both conditions were equally motivated in their respective PE courses. Conclusion: The SHL curriculum is effective in promoting students’ PA behavior outside of the school.


Author(s):  
Jung-In Yoo ◽  
Joung-Kyue Han ◽  
Hyun-Su Youn ◽  
Joo-Hyug Jung

Coronavirus disease 2019 popularized online classes to prevent educational deficits affected by the pandemic. This study aimed to assess the differences in the importance and performance of health awareness in Korean middle school students according to the types of online physical education classes they attended during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Overall, 583 participants were selected using a convenience sampling method; the data were obtained through an online survey using Google forms. Frequency analysis, reliability analysis, independent sample t-test, and importance–performance analysis were performed. First, the differences between importance and performance were found to be the most for sleep and physical activity management, and the least for disease and hygiene management. In addition, both groups demonstrated higher importance and performance for hygiene and disease management. There were significant differences in the importance and performance of all the sub-factors. Second, hygiene, disease management, and mental health management were found in quadrant I in both groups, while physical activity, sleep, and dietary habit management were in quadrant III. No factors were in quadrants II and IV. Correspondingly, there was no significant difference in adolescents’ health awareness between the assignment-based online group and interactive online group.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Ben Fredj ◽  
W Dhouib ◽  
M Kacem ◽  
C Bennasrallah ◽  
W Dhouib ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Adolescent health is a major global concern today. In fact, adolescence is the period of life where different risky behaviors can take hold and is therefore the best prevention phase to guarantee healthy lifestule in adulthood. We aimed to assess the lifestyle of middle school adolescents and to highlight the main behaviors such as the eating habits, the physical activity and the personal hygiene. Methods We carried out a cross sectional study among a sample of adolescents from December 2017 to January 2018 and we involved two middle school schools in the region of Monastir in Tunisia. The questionnaire GSHS (the Global school-based student health survey) was used. Results In total, 802 participants were enrolled with a mean age of 13.6 ±1.9 years, ranged from 11 to 16 years old. Females represented 51.9% of the study population. More than one third of the students (36%) reported rarely or never eating breakfast with a significant difference in girls more than in boys (62.8% vs 37.2%, p &lt; 10-3). Almost half of students (46.2%) reported drinking sugary sodas at least once a day and 86.3% of them reported consuming fast food more than two times per week. In addition, 59.4% of middle school students reported eating fruit more than twice a day and 24.3% eating vegetables at least three times a day. Regarding physical activity, our results showed that 24.4% of middle school students were physically active (1 hour minimum during the day) every day for the last 7 days, boys more than girls (56.5% vs 43.5%, p = 0.02). In addition, 39.7% of students declared they sit at least three hours a day. As for personal hygiene, our study found that 9.3% of students never, or rarely, washed or brushed their teeth; boys more than girls (69.3% vs 30.7%, p = &lt;0.001). Conclusions Our results provide additional evidence on the need to combat sedentary lifestyle and encourage healthy nutrition and physical activity among adolescents. Key messages Understanding the health needs and concerns of young people contribute to implement effective health programs. Interventions in young people should act on various aspects of the lifestyle to ensure an optimal effect.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-61
Author(s):  
Necip Demirci ◽  
Refika Yilmaz ◽  
Ayda Karaca

The aim of the study was to analyze step counts of middle school students in structured and unstructured physical education classes (PE) according to age, gender, and school type. Data were collected on a sample of 74 students, 40 7th and 34 8th grade students recruited from private and public middle schools. Omron HJ-112 pedometers were used in this study to obtain step counts. There were statistically significant differences between boys and girls in the step counts in both structured and unstructured PE. A significant difference was observed between school types in step counts during structured PE in both genders, while no significant difference was found for unstructured PE. Significant difference was found between step counts of only boys of different grades in unstructured PE. Boys made more steps than girls both in structured and unstructured PE. In structured PE, 7th grade boys reached a higher number of steps than 8th grade boys.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (04) ◽  
pp. 448-459
Author(s):  
Carla Greier ◽  
Clemens Drenowatz ◽  
Herbert Riechelmann ◽  
Klaus Greier

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Sena Görgün ◽  
Canses Tican

The main purpose of the current study is to investigate middle school students&rsquo; math self-efficacy perceptions and math problem posing attitudes. The sample of the study is comprised of 990 fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students attending middle school in the Fethiye district of the city of Muğla. As the data collection tool, the &ldquo;Math Self-efficacy Perception Scale&rdquo; and the &ldquo;Math Problem Posing Attitude Scale&rdquo; were used. In the analysis of the data collected through the qualitative research method, frequencies, percentages, independent-samples t-test, one-way variance analysis, post-hoc tests (Scheffe and Dunnett&rsquo;s C) and correlation analysis were used. As a result, it was found that the middle school students&rsquo; math self-efficacy perceptions and math problem posing attitudes are over the medium level. The middle school students&rsquo; self-efficacy perceptions were found to be varying significantly depending on gender. The middle school students&rsquo; problem posing attitudes were found to be varying significantly depending on gender. The math self-efficacy perceptions and math problem posing attitudes of the 5th and 6th grade students were found to be significantly higher than those of the 7th and 8th grade students. A medium, positive and significant correlation was found between the middle school students&rsquo; mean math self-efficacy perception score and their mean math problem posing attitude score.


2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsu-Yin Wu ◽  
Sherry E. Rose ◽  
Joanna M. Bancroft

Adolescence is a period of accelerated growth and change, bridging the complex transition from childhood to adulthood. This period offers adolescents an opportunity to begin planning for their futures and to adopt healthy attitudes about risk behaviors that can continue into adulthood, thus setting the stage for a lifetime of desirable health behaviors. This study used the Youth Risk Behavior Survey on middle school students and examined the gender differences of health risk behaviors among 674 8th-graders from an urban setting. The results showed that males were more likely to be involved in fights, to initiate alcohol use, and to participate in physical activity; whereas females were more likely to try to lose weight with unhealthy practices, such as fasting and laxatives. School nurses are in a prime position to promote adolescent health in the school setting by providing health-related services and teaching to help students initiate and maintain healthy lifestyles.


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