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An Integrated Curriculum Approach to Increasing Habitual Physical Activity in Children : A Feasibility Study
Oliver, Melody ; Schofield, Grant ; McEvoy, Erin ; Journal of School Health, v76 n2 p74-79 Feb 2006
Target Group: School-Age Children
Program Name: “Virtual Walk” around New Zealand
Location: Auckland , New Zealand
Study Objective: The purposes
of this study were to (1) design and implement a 4-week elementary
school curriculum unit, based around pedometer walking; determined
through accumulated physical activity and completion of a competitive
between classes “virtual walk” around the country and (2) quantify,
using pedometry, the physical activity levels of children (n=78) prior
to, and during, the unit implementation.
Study Design: Pre and post test
Intervention or Program:
- A relatively new concept is that of
"integrating" physical activity throughout the school curriculum during
the day, thereby teaching children about lifestyle physical activity in a
variety of contexts. One method by which this may be achieved is by
utilizing pedometers as a motivational and educational tool for
measuring accumulated physical activity .
- Examples of Subject Integration within the interventions curriculum unit
- English: Guided silent and independent
reading about 12 cities “virtually” walked in New Zealand and shared
reading covering historical events from some of the cities visited
- Social Studies: Investigation of
technological change throughout history and the resulting influence on
changing levels of physical activity participation and methods of
physical activity measurement
- Mathematics: Calculating stride length by measuring distance walked and number of steps taken
- Statistics: Practicing various physical
activities (running around 2 chairs, throwing a ball into a bin),
estimating the number of times the activity can be completed in 30
seconds, then tallying and totalling the actual number of times the
activity is completed in 30 seconds
- Homework: Compiling a list of activities that friends could do to achieve 30 minutes of physical activity a day
Impact on Physical Activity:
- Results showed that more than one half of
the participants were achieving more than 15,000 steps daily, and
children were significantly more active on weekdays than weekends.
- Boys were more active than girls at baseline and during intervention weekdays.
- Differences between baseline and
intervention weekdays were non-significant for the complete sample;
however, significant increases in step counts were observed when the
children with low activity levels, especially females, were examined
separately.
- Overall, the integration of physical
activity using pedometer-based activities is feasible. However, any
increases in activity may be among children who are least active.
Implications for Practitioners:
- This may be more effective in targeting the inactive
- It is possible to include physical activity in entire school curriculum and promote body learning as well as physical health.
Author's Email: Melody Oliver melody.oliver@aut.ac.nz
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