8.4: Recess and Physical Education

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (US, NASPE) recommends that all elementary school children receive at least one recess period per day of at least 20 minutes in length. While more than 90% of American elementary schools provide regular recess as part of the school day from Kindergarten (approximately age 5 years) to 5^th grade (age 10–11 years), only 35% of 6^th grade students have regularly scheduled recess (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). In the European Union, 14 of 28 countries report schemes to promote active breaks during the school day (World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, 2018). And when recess is available, children are not necessarily active the full time. Data suggest instead that students are active for only 23–31% (girls) to 32–38% (boys) of recess time (Mota et al., 2005; Ridgers et al., 2005).

Due to insufficient levels of activity during recess, approaches for increasing activity must be considered. A review of the impact of recess-focused interventions to improve youth physical activity levels found generally positive results, but few studies have examined long term impacts (Ickes et al., 2013). Common intervention approaches include adding new equipment or materials to the playground, enhancing playground markings, creating specific play zones, teacher involvement, and planned activities, with largest impacts seen for structured recess and new playground equipment (Erwin et al., 2014). This study also found increases in physical activity to be associated with the duration of the intervention per session. In other words, it is important to give children enough time during a given recess period to become and stay active.

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Physical Education (PE) differs from recess time in that there is more supervision and direction from trained teachers. The Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America recommends that schools provide 150 minutes of instructional physical education per week for elementary school children and 225 minutes of instructional physical education per week for middle and high school students. While 97% of US schools require PE in 6^th grade, this percentage drops below 45% for 11^th-12^th grade students (Brener et al., 2017). In the European Union, all Member States provide physical education in schools and most require at least two hours per week of instruction (World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, 2018). Of the 28 reporting countries, 22 mandate PE in primary schools and 20 mandate PE in secondary schools.

Data evaluating the dose of physical activity provided by a PE class has shown that children are active for approximately 34% of the time they are in a PE class (Fairclough & Stratton, 2006). Contrary to much of the physical activity data in youth, no gender differences were found. CATCH (McKenzie et al., 1996) and SPARK (Sallis et al., 1997) are two physical education interventions that succeeded in increasing physical activity levels to around 50% of class time.

Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH): CATCH is designed to be delivered over grades 3, 4, and 5 (ages 8–11) and uses a multi-component approach to behavioral health. CATCH consists of school food service, physical education, and classroom curricula approaches at school and home curricula and family fun nights within the students’ families. Physical activity is a specific focus of the program in Grades 4 and 5.

Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK): SPARK focuses on promoting lifelong well-being through high quality physical education with required teacher training. Although SPARK has adapted since its original development and evaluation, the original program consisted of in-school health-fitness activities (i.e., walking/jogging and jumping rope), skill-fitness activities (i.e., basketball and soccer), and self-management components including self-monitoring, goal setting, and problem solving.

8.4.1. Implications for Interventions in Recess and Physical Education

8.4.1.1. Pre-School Children

The World Health Organization suggests that children ages 1–4 years of age should spend at least 180 minutes per day in a variety of physical activities (World Health Organization, 2020). Considerations should be taken in the design and staffing of early childcare facilities to promote physical activity, including utilization of both fixed and portable equipment and training of staff to support and encourage physical activity (Coe, 2020). Interventions and programs in young children should be focused on development of motor skill competence, which may support increased physical activity later in life (Coe, 2020).

8.4.1.2. School-Aged Children

A whole-of-school approach is recommended to increase opportunities during PE, recess, and before, during and after school hours (National Physical Activity Plan Alliance, 2018). These programs often include physical activity breaks incorporated into the classroom and have been shown to effectively increase physical activity (Donnelly et al., 2009). In regard to physical education, interventions can include teacher training to increase the percentage of PE class time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity (McKenzie et al., 1996; Sallis et al., 1997) as well as a shift in focus to activities that build lifelong physical activity habits such as in Estonia’s “Schools in Motion” project (World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, 2018). Enjoyment of PE may influence future adult physical activity levels, with memories of embarrassment, bullying and social-physique anxiety related to lower future activity levels (Ladwig et al., 2018). Because of this possible relationship, efforts should be made to increase enjoyment of PE for all students while avoiding embarrassment and bullying.

In addition to providing additional recess and PE opportunities, manipulation of the play space may also increase physical activity levels. New equipment, markings, and play zones may increase interest in novel physical activities (Ickes et al., 2013). Renovations of play spaces from traditional equipment to more natural designs (e.g., trees, rocks, water, logs and more) has also been shown to increase physical activity levels (Coe et al., 2014). Finally, allowing for longer recess periods may give school-aged youth more opportunities to engage in physical activity (Erwin et al., 2014).

8.4.1.3. Adolescents and Teenagers

Requirements for physical education drop in high school/secondary school compared to younger grades(Brener et al., 2017; World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, 2018), so the first priority must be to increase physical education opportunities in this age group. While adolescents may not be as likely to engage in spontaneous physical activity during recess as younger children, this is an important time period for encouraging adoption of physical activity as a lifelong habit, particularly for females who experience sharper decreases in physical activity during the early teen years (Kimm et al., 2002). PE in this age group may focus less on games and sports and instead provide opportunities for exposure to new activities such as hiking, skiing, or other outdoor pursuits if resources allow. Programs that address other risk behaviors at this age (e.g., cigarette smoking, teenage pregnancy) may also provide opportunities to encourage physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle (Kimm et al., 2002).