TY - JOUR
T1 - Support for Physical Education as a Core Subject in Urban Elementary Schools
AU - Castillo, Jacqueline C.
AU - Clark, B. Ruth
AU - Butler, Carling E.
AU - Racette, Susan B.
N1 - Funding Information:
Research reported in this publication was supported by the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences grant UL1 TR000448 and subaward TL1 TR000449 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the NIH and the St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships grant sponsored by Washington University, Saint Louis University, and BJC HealthCare. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official view of the NIH. The study sponsors did not have any role in the study design; collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; writing the manuscript; or submitting this report for publication. We thank members of the Nutrition and Exercise Science Laboratory at Washington University School of Medicine, Program in Physical Therapy. We are tremendously grateful for the support of administration, staff, and students at participating St. Louis Public Schools vested in our project.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
PY - 2015/11
Y1 - 2015/11
N2 - Introduction Physical inactivity and childhood obesity are prevalent in American children, with increased vulnerability in minority, low-resource populations. The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of physical education (PE) on in-school physical activity quantity and intensity in urban minority children attending public elementary schools. Methods This observational study included elementary children (N=212; mean age, 9.9 years; 81.7% black) in Grades 2-5 attending urban public schools with high eligibility for the National School Lunch Program. In-school physical activity was quantified during 4 school weeks across 4 months (January-April 2012) using Omron HJ-151 accelerometer-pedometers. Fitness was assessed with the 20-meter Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run. Data were analyzed in 2013 using generalized estimating equations to determine the influence of PE and sex on total in-school steps and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) steps. Results Based on 3,379 observation days (mean, 15.9 school days/student), students achieved higher in-school physical activity on days with PE (4,979 steps) than on days without PE (3,683 steps, p<0.0001). Likewise, MVPA steps were greater on days with PE than on days without PE (p<0.0001). Boys were more active than girls, but both accumulated more steps on days with PE. Low aerobic fitness was observed in 29.0% of students and overweight/obesity in 31.1%. Conclusions PE significantly increases total in-school and MVPA steps in urban minority elementary children. PE as a core subject can provide opportunities for urban, minority public school children in low-resource areas to achieve age-appropriate physical activity and fitness goals.
AB - Introduction Physical inactivity and childhood obesity are prevalent in American children, with increased vulnerability in minority, low-resource populations. The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of physical education (PE) on in-school physical activity quantity and intensity in urban minority children attending public elementary schools. Methods This observational study included elementary children (N=212; mean age, 9.9 years; 81.7% black) in Grades 2-5 attending urban public schools with high eligibility for the National School Lunch Program. In-school physical activity was quantified during 4 school weeks across 4 months (January-April 2012) using Omron HJ-151 accelerometer-pedometers. Fitness was assessed with the 20-meter Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run. Data were analyzed in 2013 using generalized estimating equations to determine the influence of PE and sex on total in-school steps and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) steps. Results Based on 3,379 observation days (mean, 15.9 school days/student), students achieved higher in-school physical activity on days with PE (4,979 steps) than on days without PE (3,683 steps, p<0.0001). Likewise, MVPA steps were greater on days with PE than on days without PE (p<0.0001). Boys were more active than girls, but both accumulated more steps on days with PE. Low aerobic fitness was observed in 29.0% of students and overweight/obesity in 31.1%. Conclusions PE significantly increases total in-school and MVPA steps in urban minority elementary children. PE as a core subject can provide opportunities for urban, minority public school children in low-resource areas to achieve age-appropriate physical activity and fitness goals.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84945484128&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.amepre.2015.04.015
DO - 10.1016/j.amepre.2015.04.015
M3 - Article
C2 - 26143954
AN - SCOPUS:84945484128
VL - 49
SP - 753
EP - 756
JO - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
JF - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
SN - 0749-3797
IS - 5
ER -