Influence of supervised activity zones during recess on sedentary activity, social skill development, and problem behavior in elementary-aged children

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Due to the childhood obesity epidemic, many school-based interventions have been developed to target physical inactivity before it develops in their adult years. However, due to the heightened importance on academic achievements, many schools have reduced opportunities for children to engage in physical activity (PA) to lessen negative behaviors. PURPOSE: This study compared changes in PA, social skills, and problem behaviors in youth with supervised and unsupervised activity-zone playgrounds (AZP) during school recess. METHODS:143 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade boys and girls from two elementary institutions had their PA measured using Actigraph-GT3X accelerometers for a total four weeks. Baseline data were collected for one week prior to activity zoning. Afterwards, the playgrounds were divided into six activity zones for two weeks, with activity zones supervised at only one institution. Activity zones were removed, and PA data were collected for one-week post intervention. Educators completed the Social Skills Improvement System pre- and post-intervention which measured social skills, problem behaviors, and academic competence. RESULTS: Few differences were seen in PA engagement and behavior between the supervised and unsupervised conditions throughout the duration of AZP implementation. Initial activity status affected PA engagement that occurred with AZP implementation such that reductions in vigorous PA and increases in light PA were detected among active students (p [less than] .05) with no changes among inactive students. Increases in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with subsequent decreases in sedentary activity during recess were noted for third grade students in addition to improvements in their social skill scores by 3 [percent] (p = .003). Fifth grade students showed no significant change in PA engagement or behavior during the intervention. No differences in problem behaviors or academic competence were detected (ps [greater than] .05). CONCLUSION: AZPs during recess can improve PA engagement and can lead to improvements in school day behavior, especially in younger students. Supervising AZPs may be detrimental to PA engagement during recess, however, this is may be dependent on the reliability of employed supervisors. Additionally, considerable attention is needed with regards to developing activities that will appease students of differing activity statuses, older students, and that will prevent a decrease in higher intensity PA engagement.