
Walking for Wellness: Physical Activity in the School Setting
Background: Inadequate physical activity in schools prevents children from meeting the 150 minutes of structured physical education per week and 20 minutes of recess per day that is recommended for wellness. Rationale: A logic model guided the development, implementation, and evaluation of this quality improvement project. Implementation involved fourth and fifth grade students and was carried out by school leadership over 60 school days. The goal was to engage students in daily structured physical activity. Methods: The 100 Mile Club® (2018a) program was adapted for implementation at a parochial elementary school in Pennsylvania. Students were given pedometers and instructed to walk 15 minutes each school day. Students recorded step counts and teachers kept daily logs. Following implementation, data was analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine students’ engagement in structured physical activity. Process evaluation through guided interviews provided feedback on program implementation, feasibility, value, and potential for sustainability. Results: Data analysis revealed engagement in structured physical activity. Each student averaged 14.07 minutes of daily walking, 0.77 miles daily, and 35.4 miles over 60 school days. Interview data from school leaders revealed program feasibility, ease of implementation, and effectiveness at engaging students in structured physical activity. Conclusions/Implications: This program shows promise as an easy method of engaging students in school-based physical activity. If sustained, increased physical activity may lead to improved health outcomes and an overall reduction in childhood obesity.
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Work Title | Walking for Wellness: Physical Activity in the School Setting |
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License | All rights reserved |
Work Type | Project |
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Publication Date | 4/3/2020 |
DOI | doi:10.26207/062d-6h81 |
Deposited | April 03, 2020 |
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