Background/Purpose: Lack of physical activity is a well-substantiated obesogenic behavior. Considerable evidence suggests that psychosocial and environmental predictors can increase children's physical activity. Existing research has overlooked exploration of the variety, and exact types, of physical activities children choose to engage in during discretionary time, such as recess. The purpose of this study was to examine specific patterns of recess physical activity.
Method: Elementary-age children (N=444; 49% females; 23.6% overweight/obese; 51% non-Caucasian) completed a modified ADL-PP (Watkinson et al., 2001) or “Recess Journal” following their 30-minute recess for six consecutive schooldays. The journal prompts children with “what did you do at recess today” whereby children self-report by circling all activities engaged in that day from 39 possible labeled illustrations.
Analysis/Results: The number of days children reported participation in each specific activity and total number of activities participated in each day was counted. Crosstabulations were calculated and t-tests revealed significant gender and weight status differences in patterns of specific activities and total daily activity count. Gender differences in activity patterns by day showed boys more often threw or kicked a ball as compared to girls who talked with friends and played on the swings more. Gender and weight status differences were found in specific types of total physical activity patterns; girls and healthy weight children reported participation in a greater total number of activities each day as compared to their counterparts.
Conclusions: Findings revealed important information for the design of future interventions to increase children's recess and discretionary-time physical activity.
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