Strategies for classroom physical activity in schools

Abstract

Less than one-third of children and adolescents in the United States are meeting the recommendation from the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans to get 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. Schools can help students meet this national recommendation because close to 60 million children and adolescents attend school. Schools have also shown that they are capable of helping students get up to 20 to 60 minutes of physical activity during the school day. This finding underscores that schools are the most strategic and practical place for students to learn about and practice being physically active.The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model can help schools strategically identify and promote policies, practices, and programs that increase physical education and physical activity. Within the context of this model, schools can develop, implement, and evaluate a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program.This document was prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health in collaboration with Springboard to Active Schools, an initiative of the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) and Health Resources in Action (HRiA) through Cooperative Agreement CDC-RFA-DP16-1601 with CDC. It was supported by conceptual, technical, and editorial assistance from subject matter experts at CDC and others from the fields of health and education.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strategies for Classroom Physical Activity in Schools. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2018.CS296182-AClassroomPAStrategies_508.pdf2018Cooperative Agreement CDC-RFA-DP16-160