"I Need the Shade": Experiences and Perceptions of Elementary School Children During Recess in Hot Weather.

Background: Few studies have investigated how heat impacts play from the perspective of children. The purpose of this study was to explore children's experiences of recess play during high temperatures.

Methods: We used the draw-and-tell method to retrospectively explore the experiences of recess during hot weather among students (N = 38) between the ages of 5-12 attending four elementary schools in one school district in Arizona (United States).

Sustainability Requires Many Faces of Support.

: This study focused on the sustainability of a school-wide health behavior intervention in rural schools in the Southwestern US. Informed by the seven premises of Theories of Action with Merit, the purpose of this study was to investigate which portion(s) of a five-year, school-wide health behavior intervention were still in practice (i.e.

Comparing the impact of the Sport Education model on student motivation in Kuwaiti and American students.

Background: Sport Education (SE) stands as the most researched pedagogical model in physical education. While researchers have consistently underscored its capacity to improve student motivation in physical education, a gap remains concerning its implications in Arab nations. Moreover, no studies have been identified comparing the outcomes of SE between the U.

A natural experiment to assess recess frequency on children's physical activity in Arizona (U.S.) elementary schools.

Background: In the United States, the number of state policies mandating recess in schools has rapidly increased over the past decade; however, few policies specify recess frequency. Informed by an ecological model of physical activity (PA) policy, this study examined and compared total amounts and intensity of PA expended during recess among children attending schools in compliance with Arizona recess policy ARS§ 15-118 mandating 2 + daily recess periods versus not.

Methods: PA during recess was measured among grade three children (ages 8-10) in four randomly selected elementary schools (two complying averaging 30 daily recess minutes; two non-complying averaging 15 daily recess minutes) in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Classroom Teachers' Perceived Barriers to Implementing Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (TPB- CSPAP): Instrument Development.

Although physical education teachers generally act as the physical activity champion and promote adherence to whole-school physical activity programs, classroom teachers manage the majority of students' access to movement throughout the school day. To support the adoption of a whole-school physical activity program, this study developed an instrument that identifies barriers perceived by classroom teachers related to adopting this type of program in their school. A four-step process provided the conceptual framework for this instrument development (literature review, expert review, quantitative evaluation, and validation).

System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth: A Systematic Review of US and Canadian Studies.

Background: The System of Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth (SOPLAY) has assisted in providing valid and reliable data of youth physical activity and characteristics specific to environmental contexts. The review aimed to examine empirical research that employed the SOPLAY instrument to measure physical activity in leisure-based activity environments in North American countries.

Methods: The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

The Relationship Between Policy Strength and Physical Activity Practices in Arizona Public Elementary Schools.

Background: Many school-based physical activity statutes and regulations have been enacted, with the expectation that schools will comply. However, policy alone does not equate to implementation, and many policies fail for a variety of reasons. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the strength of reported state, district, and school-level physical activity policies were associated with reported recess, physical education, and other school-based physical activity practices at elementary schools in Arizona.

"He's a little skinny and he's a little wide.": a mixed design investigation of American Indian student perceptions of healthy bodies.

Background: Childhood is a critical developmental time of wellness patterns, yet little is known about what children know and believe. Even less is known about non-majority cultures like American Indian youth. The purpose of this study was to explore American Indian students' understandings of nutrition and physical activity.

School and Home Contributions to Dietary Behaviors of Rural Youth.

Purpose: This study examined dietary behaviors of rural youth at school and at home and sociodemographic differences.

Design: A cross-sectional design was used.

Setting: The study took place in five rural schools in the Southwestern US.

Fishing Downstream: Does CSPAP Promotion During PETE Transfer to Teaching Practice by K-12 Physical Educators?

Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) training has the potential to influence graduates' decisions as physical educators. Utilizing themes from Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations and Lawson's Occupational Socialization theories, we focused on graduates from a single PETE program which, beginning in 2007, began integrating content, expectations, and experiences relating to an expanded role of the physical educator such as in comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs). : The purpose of this study was to examine transfer in terms of university training leading to teaching practices in expanded physical activity programming.

A cluster randomized controlled trial of an after-school playground curriculum intervention to improve children's physical, social, and emotional health: study protocol for the PLAYground project.

Background: The public health benefits of physical activity for children are well known including contributions to metabolic and cardiorespiratory health. Along with physical benefits, engaging in physical activity can support the social and emotional health of youth and promote health and well-being into adulthood. This cluster-randomized controlled trial assesses the impact of an after-school curriculum aimed at improving physically active and inclusive play to promote physical, social, and emotional health.

The Effectiveness of Equipment Provisions on Rural Middle School Students' Physical Activity During Lunch Recess.

Background: Environmental provisions can boost students' discretionary participation in physical activity (PA) during lunchtime at school. This study investigated the effectiveness of providing PA equipment as an environmental intervention on middle school students' PA levels and stakeholders' perceptions of the effectiveness of equipment provisions during school lunch recess.

Methods: A baseline-intervention research design was used in this study with a first baseline phase followed by an intervention phase (ie, equipment provision phase).

Off-Hours Facility Use in Public High Schools: Physical Activity Potential vs. Reality.

: Public high school campuses in the United States are generally built with multiple dedicated physical activity facilities from soccer fields to swimming pools. When viewed from a community health standpoint, these campuses hold great potential (if accessible) in providing community members spaces where they can engage in physical activity during non-school hours. Guided by the Social-Ecological Model (SEM) the purpose of this study was to assess access to and use of all physical activity areas on public high school campuses during non-school hours on weekdays and weekend days.

Active Transportation: The Role of Parent Attitude, The Physical Environment, and Social Capital.

Background: Despite recommendation and confirmed physical activity benefits, participation in active transportation to school (ATS) has continued to decline. This study's purpose was to create and test a model of ATS that is directly explained by the constructs of parent attitude, the physical environment, and social capital controlling for age and gender.

Methods: Participants were parents (N = 248) of children at 6 elementary and 2 middle schools in 1 district in the Southwestern United States.

Effectiveness of Secondary School Conceptual Physical Education: A 20-Year Longitudinal Study.

Background: Previous research findings from Project Active Teen demonstrated the effectiveness of high school conceptual physical education (CPE) in promoting active lifestyles.

Method: This study followed Project Active Teen participants 20 years after graduation from high school and 24 years after taking a CPE class. Physical activity behaviors were assessed using the same procedures as previous Project Active Teen studies.

Physical Education Preservice Teachers' Perceptions About Preparation for Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs.

Purpose: Physical educators may be the responsible people for implementing comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs) in schools. However, it is unclear whether physical education teacher education (PETE) programs provide the relevant learning opportunities to preservice teachers for CSPAP implementation. The purpose of this study was to understand preservice teachers' perspectives and experiences of CSPAP preparation in their PETE programs.

Entering the Field of Physical Education: The Journey of Fifteen First-Year Teachers.

Purpose: Given the significant challenges facing today's physical educators, the purpose of this study was to examine the expectations of induction teachers and identify the factors in both their personal and organizational environments enhanced or constrained their assimilation into the field during their 1st year.

Method: Using occupational socialization theory as a guide, data from demographic surveys and a series of formal interviews with participants at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year were inductively analyzed for theme development.

Results: Results revealed positive acculturation experiences and unity regarding the purpose of physical education as preparing students to be fit for a lifetime.

Developing the System for Observing Behavioral Ecology for Youth in Schools Instrument.

Background: Behavioral support may be effective in increasing physical activity (PA) in school settings. However, there are no data collection systems to concurrently record PA and behavioral support. This paper describes the development and validation of the System for Observing Behavioral Ecology for Youth in Schools (SOBEYS)-an instrument used with existing observation systems to record PA within a behavioral ecological context.

Environmental and Behavioral Influences of Physical Activity in Junior High School Students.

Background: Increasing access and opportunity for physical activity (PA) in schools are effective; however, not everyone experiences the same effects. Prompting and reinforcement may encourage more frequent participation in recreational PA during the school day. The purpose of this study was to investigate a lunchtime PA intervention on whole school PA participation and whether behavioral support enhanced these effects.

Step Counts on Weekdays, Weekends, and During Physical Education of Navajo High School Students.

Background: Understanding the physical activity patterns of youth is important for the implementation and evaluation of programming and interventions designed to change behavior. To date, little is known about the objectively measured physical activity patterns of Native American youth. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the step counts of Navajo youth during weekdays, weekend days, and physical education classes.

Before-School Running/Walking Club and Student Physical Activity Levels: An Efficacy Study.

Purpose: Before-school programs, one of the least studied student-related comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) components, may be a promising strategy to help youth meet the physical activity (PA) guidelines. This study's purpose was to examine: (a) how much PA children accrued during a before-school running/walking club and during the school day, (b) whether children compensated for the PA accumulated in the before-school program by decreasing their school-day PA, and (c) potential sex and body mass index (BMI) differences.

Method: An alternating treatments design with a baseline phase was first conducted at a private school (School A) and was subsequently replicated at a public school (School B).

Before-school running/walking club: Effects on student on-task behavior.

Before-school programs provide a good opportunity for children to engage in physical activity (PA) as well as improve their readiness to learn. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a before-school running/walking club on elementary school children's on-task behavior. The study employed a two-phase experimental design with an initial baseline phase followed by an alternating treatments phase, and was first conducted at a private school (School A) and subsequently replicated at a public school (School B).

An Examination of Four Traditional School Physical Activity Models on Children's Step Counts and MVPA.

Unlabelled: Schools have been identified as primary societal institutions for promoting children's physical activity (PA); however, limited evidence exists demonstrating which traditional school-based PA models maximize children's PA.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare step counts and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) across 4 traditional school PA modules.

Method: Step count and MVPA data were collected on 5 consecutive school days from 298 children (Mage = 10.

Health-related fitness of American Indian youth.

Unlabelled: A physically fit lifestyle is important for American Indian (AI) youth who are at risk for hypokinetic diseases, particularly type 2 diabetes. Some evidence exists on the physical activity patterns of AI youth, but there is little information on their health-related fitness.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the health-related fitness levels of youth living in an AI community.