Purpose: Our purpose was to investigate the effect of generalization of participation in parkour from physical education classes to organized parkour recess. Methods: A total of 143 (64 girls and 79 boys) third-grade elementary school children received a 12-lesson parkour sport education season in physical education. Voluntary participation in…

This study was to evaluate weight status and sociodemographic disparities in physical activity (PA) intensities (i.e., vigorous PA [VPA], moderate PA [MPA], and light PA [LPA]) during different segments of the school day, including physical education (PE), recess, and lunchtime. Participants were 287 third-grade students (Mage = 8.38, SD = 0.50).…

The Moving Maths study was conducted to increase third grade pupils' physical activity and support their learning in Finland. Altogether 397 children (mean age 9.3 years) and 22 teachers took part in an intervention with two types of physically active maths lessons for five months. One group carried out lessons in which PA was integrated into…

There is growing evidence that increased physical fitness and physical activity (PA) rates are positively associated with academic achievement. Recent efforts toward Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP) include the use of PA breaks during academic learning activities. This study examined the acute and chronic effects of PA…

Background: Interventions to promote health have been implemented in some urban settings. However, school-based health promotion interventions in at-risk urban schools have not been thoroughly investigated. Objective: This article investigates teachers' perceptions regarding health promotion interventions with the main goal of establishing social…

Daily physical activity (PA) benefits children's and adolescents' overall health while reducing the likelihood of obesity. Elementary school physical education (PE) classes provide opportunities for children and adolescents not only to participate in PA but also to build the knowledge and skills needed to be physically active across their…

There is now a wealth of research on obesity both from biomedical and socially critical perspectives. However, less research has focused on the lived experiences of young children and particularly those who are perceived as 'sedentary'. This paper critically examines the issue of obesity as related to children's experiences of physical…

The Step it UP! Game is an interdependent group reinforcement contingency based on the Good Behavior Game. We evaluated the effects of the Step it UP! Game on the number of steps taken by 3rd-grade students during physical-education (PE) classes at a local public elementary school. We divided the class into 2 teams and awarded a "Step it UP!…

Children and adolescents spend considerable time online. The current study investigated moderators of short-term longitudinal associations from social media use to changes in body satisfaction and physical activity. Participants (144 girls, 152 boys) were third-sixth grade students (ages 8-13) attending public schools in Florida (USA).…

A recent intervention, the Step it UP! game (Galbraith & Normand, 2017), consists of an interdependent group contingency to increase student physical activity. In addition, previous research demonstrated that adult interaction may reinforce physical activity (Larson et al., 2014). We extended research on the Step it UP! game by comparing the…

This paper used a nationally representative sample of children from the United States to examine the extent to which physical activity and sports participation may promote growth in children's executive functions (EFs), attention, and social self-control over time. Using data from the ECLS-K:2011 (N = 18,174), findings indicated that regular…

Introduction: The sudden changes in school educational modality due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation have affected the lifestyle, mental and emotional health, and perception of their academic training in students with high intellectual abilities. The aim of this study was to analyze the predictor variables of sleepiness, satisfaction…

Family and educational institutions play a decisive role in learning and strengthening habits related to physical activity and health. School has a specific mission in this scope, especially at the first stage of education. Attempting to answer the question of how schools in practice realise these tasks, a study was conducted on the level of…

Programs utilizing research-tested evaluation tools can help identify effective educational strategies and document program effectiveness and impact. Using the case of the UF/IFAS Extension Family Nutrition Program (FNP), this article illustrates steps for conducting a rigorous assessment of the measurement properties of evaluation instruments.…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influences of a structured after-school program on student physical activity for third- through fifth-grade students at five schools in southern Colorado. The study utilized a pretest-posttest intervention design in which six elementary schools in a low socioeconomic status school district in southern…