Children living in rural America have limited opportunities for physical activity and the likelihood of inactivity is high. This study will assess physical activity opportunities and habits in rural American elementary school children living in the Central Valley (VA), Mississippi River Delta (MS and AR), Appalachia (KY), and Southeast (GA and SC) regions of the US. The assessment will lead to an understanding of physical activity patterns including the activities children currently do and those they would like to do, places they engage in activity, and their perceptions of characteristics that either support or detract from their ability to participate in physical activity. Using the data collected from this study, investigators will design a conceptual model of an activity-friendly rural environment for children ages 6 to 11 years and will speculate about environmental and policy characteristics that are related to physical activity in rural elementary school children.
