Gender Inequalities in Elementary Recess Physical Activity

Background/Purpose: Recommendations from CDC (2010) state that children should be engaged in at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week, yet fewer than half of children ages 6 to 11 meet that recommendation. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) recommends that all elementary school students have at least 20 minutes of recess each day (NASPE, 2008).  The percent of recess time during which children engage in physical activity ranges from 16-68% among boys and 15-52% among girls (Ridgers, Stratton, Fairclough, et al., 2007). Furthermore the contribution of recess to total daily physical activity ranges from 5-40% for boys and 5-31% for girls. The purpose of this study was to explore possible gender inequalities in recess physical activity (RPA) among elementary aged students.  

Method: Recess physical activity levels were calculated via pedometry on 314 (n= 159 female), 3^rd-5^th grade students, at three (1 public, 2 private) schools in the Southeastern US.  RPA steps and time were collected during 10 consecutive school days during recess and averaged for analyses.

Analysis/Results: Results indicated that with similar recess times, females accumulated, on average, nearly 1 minute more of RPA time (female 22:02 min; male 21:08 min). Although females average more RPA time, male elementary students take an average of 200 more steps during recess. Two-tailed t-tests were  run to analyze the significance of gender on RPA steps and time. Findings indicated statistically significant (p < 0.005) differences between RPA steps and time between elementary males and females. 

Conclusions: Despite that pedometers indicate females receive more RPA time, this study suggests that boys are more active during recess based on the significant difference in the results of steps taken during recess. Strategies and other activities such as utilizing recess supervisors, providing playground space that interests both genders, and providing inexpensive playground equipment, all can aide in providing more physical activity opportunities for both genders, which can help to increase overall RPA steps (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012).