Active Living Research

Researchers and advocates have linked state guidelines on minimum acreage for schools to the abandonment of historic schools and increased barriers to walking and biking to school. This study examined how the elimination of minimum acreage standards in four states affected school planning processes and outcomes using mixed methods. We found that states changed school acreage policies because of concerns about sprawl and the rising costs of education facilities. However, changes in state acreage policies have not been accompanied by changes in district-level school planning processes and therefore on-the-ground impacts have been minimal in the years immediately after the policy change.

BACKGROUND: Children in poor and minority neighborhoods often lack adequate environmental support for healthy physical development and community interventions designed to improve physical activity resources serve as an important approach to addressing obesity. In Denver, the Learning Landscapes (LL) program has constructed over 98 culturally-tailored schoolyard play spaces at elementary schools with the goal to encourage utilization of play spaces and physical activity. In spite of enthusiasm about such projects to improve urban environments, little work has evaluated their impact or success in achieving their stated objectives. This study evaluates the impacts of LL construction and recency of renovation on schoolyard utilization and the physical activity rates of children, both during and outside of school, using an observational study design. METHODS: This study employs a quantitative method for evaluating levels of physical activity of individuals and associated environmental characteristics in play and leisure environments. Schools were selected on the basis of their participation in the LL program, the recency of schoolyard renovation, the size of the school, and the social and demographic characteristics of the school population. Activity in the schoolyards was measured using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity (SOPLAY), a validated quantitative method for evaluating levels of physical activity of individuals in play and leisure environments. Trained observers collected measurements before school, during school recess, after school, and on weekends. Overall utilization (the total number of children observed on the grounds) and the rate of activity (the percentage of children observed who were physically active) were analyzed. Observations were compared using t-tests and the data were stratified by gender for further analysis. In order to assess the impacts of LL renovation, recently-constructed LL schoolyards were compared to LL schoolyards with older construction, as well as un-renovated schoolyards. RESULTS: Overall utilization was significantly higher at LL schools than at un-renovated schools for most observation periods. Notably, LL renovation had no impact on girl's utilization on the weekends, although differences were observed for all other periods. There were no differences in rates of activity for any comparison. With the exception of the number of boys observed, there was no statistically significant difference in activity when recently-constructed LL schools are compared to LL schools with older construction dates and there was no difference observed in comparisons of older LL with unrenovated sites. CONCLUSIONS: While we observed greater utilization and physical activity in schools with LL, the impact of specific features of LL renovation is not clear. However, schoolyard renovation and programs to encourage schoolyard use before and after school may offer a means to encourage greater physical activity among children, and girls in particular. Additional study of schoolyard renovation may shed light on the specific reasons for these findings or suggest effective policies to improve the physical activity resources of poor and minority neighborhoods.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates changes in physical activity and active transportation associated with installation of new bicycle boulevards. METHODS: This natural experiment study uses data from a longitudinal panel of adults with children (n=353) in Portland, OR. Activity and active transportation outcomes were measured with GPS and accelerometers worn for up to 5 days in 2010-11 and 2012-13. The effect of the treatment was estimated using difference in differences estimation and multivariate regression models. RESULTS: In five of the seven models, the interaction term was not significant, indicating that after controlling for the main effects of time and exposure separately, there was no correlation between being in a treatment area and minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day, bicycling N10 min, walking N20 min, minutes of walking (if N20), or making a bike trip. Significant covariates included rain, being female, living closer to downtown, and attitudes towards bicycling, walking, and car safety. CONCLUSION: This study could not confirm an increase in physical activity or active transportation among adults with children living near newly installed bicycle boulevards. Additional pre/post studies are encouraged, as well as research on the length of time after installation that behavior change is likely to occur.

OBJECTIVE: For optimal health, physical activity should be an integral and routine part of daily life. Youth spend a significant amount of time at school yet rarely achieve the recommended 60 min of moderate and vigorous physical activity in physical education (PE) classes or recess. This study assessed the following types of school-based opportunities to improve physical activity for youth: after-school programs, before-school programs, PE classes, extended-day PE, and short physical activity breaks during the school day. METHOD: An economic analysis conducted in 2013 compared school-based approaches to increasing physical activity. Analysis factors included costs, reach, effects on physical activity gains, cost-effectiveness, and other potentially augmenting benefits. RESULTS: Two programs were significantly superior in terms of reach and cost per student: (1) extending the school day with mandatory PE participation and (2) offering short (10-minute) physical activity breaks during regular classroom hours. After-school program costs per student are high and the programs have a smaller reach, but they offer benefits (such as childcare) that may justify their higher costs. Before-school programs did not appear feasible. CONCLUSION: Incorporating short physical activity breaks into the existing school day would be a cost-effective way to increase school-based activity. This type of program is inexpensive and has broad reach. Inserting activity breaks throughout the day is appropriate, especially when youth are otherwise largely sedentary.

OBJECTIVE: To examine protocol fidelity among teachers involved in a six-month cluster-randomized physical activity (PA) intervention. METHODS: In 2011, preschools in Springfield, MA were randomized to short bouts of structured PA (SBS-PA, n = 5) or unstructured playtime (UPA, n=5). SBS-PA provided structured PA in the classroom during the first 10 min of gross-motor playtime followed by 20 min of unstructured playtime. UPA consisted of 30 min of unstructured playtime. All teachers (SBS-PA and UPA) received a written study protocol and 1.5 h of training. SBS-PA also received videos to use to lead structured PA and 1.5 additional hours of training. Study fidelity and process evaluation were assessed twice weekly via semi-structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Only 56.6% of SBS-PA and 75.2% of UPA free playtimes lasted for 30 min; 86.3% of SBS-PA teachers implemented structured PA during the first 10 min of gross-motor playtime but only 67.2% delivered the intervention as instructed. Only 68.5% of SBS-PA teachers implemented the 20-minute unstructured playtime. SBS-PA teachers reported that time limitations was a major barrier in implementing the designed intervention. Pre-post changes in PA did not differ between groups. CONCLUSION: Limited fidelity to intervention protocol likely impacted study findings. Future studies should focus on strategies to improve adherence among intervention leaders.