Gramercy Research Group and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools have partnered to look at the impact of brief 10-minute exercise breaks during the day on health and related behaviors in children. Regular physical activity is recommended for improvement of overall health and to facilitate weight control. In children and adolescents (youth), PA also fosters optimal physical and cognitive growth and development. Schools are prime targets for interventions to increase PA among children since 95% of children are enrolled in school, attendance enforcement ensures high levels of exposure, and the organizational infrastructure permits institutionalization. Some states have begun to mandate minimum amounts of PA in which students engage, requiring that schools augment PE to increase PA levels. In North Carolina, a regulatory policy adopted in 2006 by the State Department of Education mandates that schools provide a minimum of 30 minutes of daily PA for children in grades K-8, over and above PE requirements(Healthy Active Children Policy, HSP-S-000).
Instant Recess is an innovative, information technology-based solution for incorporating PA into daily activity. Including brief bouts of exercise in the classroom setting may enhance children’s PA and fitness levels and outcomes of importance to educators, such as on-task behavior and decreased disruptiveness and, possibly academic performance, may increase administrative support and sustain teacher adherence. It is a 10-minute, moderate intensity, exercise break that can be easily adapted into the classroom setting.
This research is supported by funding from the UCLA Center to Eliminate Health Disparities.
More Information
For more information on physical activity breaks, please visit www.toniyancey.com/padres