Physical Activity in School and Community Settings: Assessing Implementation of the Physical Activity Guidelines

This presentation provides beneficial information to teachers, recreation professionals, and allied fitness and health personnel in that it aims to: (a) illustrate the practical use of physical activity measurement tools for assessing progress toward meeting the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and (b) provide recommendations for promoting physical activity in school and community settings. Various physical activity assessment tools including direct observation, accelerometers, pedometers, and questionnaires will be reviewed and their viability for practitioner use in various school (e.g., physical education, recess, intramurals, and before and after school programs) and community (e.g., recreation centers, parks) contexts will be discussed. Given that no one setting can likely provide all the physical activity needed to meet the Guidelines (e.g., 150 minutes per week), the presentation closes with recommendations for changes that could lead to increasing physical activity in specific settings. Taken together, the resulting changes could lead to the accumulation of sufficient physical activity to meet the Guidelines.