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Physical activity plays an important role in childhood development and is associated with positive health, social, emotional, and academic benefits. Despite this, children are often sedentary for most of their school day and fail to meet daily activity recommendations. Incorporating physical activity breaks into the classroom can achieve many positive outcomes, however has not been widely adopted. This study used the diffusion of innovation theory as a framework to examine teacher perceptions of barriers and facilitators to incorporating physical activity breaks into their elementary classrooms. Teachers perceived compatibility with teaching philosophy and observability of benefits to most students as strong facilitators. They struggled to reconcile relative advantage and trailability, primarily due to classroom management issues associated with just a few students. Lack of complexity facilitated implementation, however upper grade teachers felt a strong need to connect activity to academics which threatened complexity. The authors conclude with recommendations to increase adoption.

This study examined the effect of a physical activity program on student activity during recess and on disruptive classroom behavior. The program was implemented during recess for 5 weeks in a rural elementary school. Prior to and during the program, teachers recorded observations of sedentary students during recess and of disruptive classroom behavior before and after recess. The number of sedentary students during recess decreased significantly during the program (p < 0.05) and classroom behavior significantly improved after recess (p < 0.001), differences that were not seen prior to the start of the program. Physical activity initiatives can improve student participation in physical activity during recess while costing little and maintaining student choice. Increased physical activity during recess improves children's ability to meet daily activity recommendations and may improve the classroom environment by decreasing disruptive behaviors.

This study examined the effect of a physical activity program on student activity during recess and on disruptive classroom behavior. The program was implemented during recess for 5 weeks in a rural elementary school. Prior to and during the program, teachers recorded observations of sedentary students during recess and of disruptive classroom behavior before and after recess. The number of sedentary students during recess decreased significantly during the program (p < .05) and classroom behavior significantly improved after recess (p < .001), differences that were not seen prior to the start of the program. Physical activity initiatives can improve student participation in physical activity during recess while costing little and maintaining student choice. Increased physical activity during recess improves children's ability to meet daily activity recommendations and may improve the classroom environment by decreasing disruptive behaviors., The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS, 2008) state that children and adolescents need a minimum of 60 min of [...]

Students who participate in service-learning courses are given the opportunity to apply the knowledge they develop in the classroom to real-world settings while meeting community needs. This study explores how service-learning pedagogy contributes to interpersonal professional skill development in pre-health undergraduate students attending a small, liberal arts college in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Students were enrolled in a required course within the health and exercise science department and were pursuing health-related careers. They partnered with local organizations where they engaged marginalized community members in physically active games and programs to promote health. Students then participated in reflective assignments that were qualitatively analyzed. In total, 103 essays and 10 focus groups were coded and interpreted. Three themes emerged as pre-health professional skills developed through the course: communication, perspective taking, and motivating others. Students indicated that service-learning experiences helped them improve in these areas or brought awareness to their struggles with these skills. This study describes how service-learning pedagogy can be used to expand the interpersonal skills of undergraduate students necessary to promote health in all related professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few physical activity (PA) interventions in higher education, and they have been only minimally effective. Objective: To determine if a course-based, peer education intervention was associated with increases in PA and physical fitness. Participants: Participants were 178 students enrolled in a personal health class during the 2007-2008 academic year. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to assess the effect of the intervention. Repeated measures analysis of covariance was employed to test the impact of the intervention on students' PA, body composition, waist-to-hip ratio, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and muscular strength. Results: Women in the treatment group classified as "Inactive" at baseline increased PA, whereas "Inactive" control women had reductions in PA. Women in the treatment group who were "Active" at baseline reduced their waist-to-hip ratio and increased flexibility. There were no differences by treatment group among men. Conclusions: The intervention was effective in improving PA and physical fitness among college women. (Contains 4 tables.)

Abstract The female athlete triad can cause acute and chronic health problems for physically active females. This study describes student coaches preparedness to participate in primary prevention and intervention of [...]

Student-athletes are subject to high levels of stress due to their combined academic and athletic responsibilities, which can have a negative impact on health and academic performance. The COVID-19 global pandemic caused unparalleled academic disruption and increased stress for all college students. This study examined perceptions of academic stress specifically, both prior to and during the pandemic, and factors that contribute to increased stress levels. One-hundred forty-eight student-athletes from a division three institution completed a quantitative stress questionnaire prior to and during the pandemic. Results showed that females experience more academic stress than males, that stress increased significantly during the pandemic, and that GPA and hours spent studying were predictors of academic stress, while number of credits, sport season, and use of support services were not. This research indicates that support for academic stress management and academic performance is warranted and should target high risk groups, especially during times of academic disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors used Coles' (1993) framework of emotional satisfactions and hazards to examine the experiences of faculty members teaching service-learning classes for the first time. Seven faculty from two institutions completed monthly reflections and focus groups for one year. Qualitative analysis indicated that faculty experienced several of Coles' emotional satisfactions and hazards, were prone to emotional contagion, and depended on colleague mentoring to navigate the experiences of using service-learning pedagogy for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]