Contextual factors related to physical activity during daily middle school physical education. Suspected Motor Problems and Low Preference for Active Play in Childhood Are Associated with Physical Inactivity and Low Fitness in Adolescence Physical activity and skills intervention: SCORES cluster randomized controlled trial. Methods of the NSW Schools Fitness and Physical Activity Survey, 1997. Relationship between the intensity of physical activity, inactivity, cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in 7–10-year-old Dublin children Improvements in fundamental movement skill competency mediate the effect of the SCORES intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children Effects of two physical education programmes on health- and skill-related physical fitness of Albanian children Body mass index, fitness and physical activity from childhood through adolescence
OBJECTIVES Given the importance of optimizing physical activity in adolescents , the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of activity mode , environment , and semester on step counts/minute and MVPA during daily middle-school physical education ( PE ) . DESIGN A prospect i ve and observational research design . METHODS Participants included 232 students ( Mean age=13.3±0.4 years ) recruited from the seventh and eighth grade s from one public middle-school in the U.S. Activity modes were employed across the school year including motor skills , games , and fitness activities located in indoor and outdoor environments . Step counts/minute and MVPA  were monitored across 132 PE lessons during Fall and Spring semesters using NL-1000 piezoelectric pedometers . A three-way Multivariate Analysis of Covariance ( MANCOVA ) was employed to examine the effect of activity mode ( skill games vs. fitness ) , environment ( indoors vs. outdoors ) , and semester ( Fall vs. Spring ) on student step counts/minute and MVPA . MANCOVA was followed by separate ANCOVA tests . RESULTS MANCOVA yielded a statistically significant three-way interaction ( Wilks ' Λ=0.98 F(2 , 1153)=8.9 , P<0.001 ) . Follow-up tests supported that physical activity was higher during outdoor fitness activities in the Fall compared to indoor motor skills in the Spring for step counts/minute ( Mean difference=27.0 steps/minute , P<0.001 , Cohen 's d=1.6 ) and MVPA ( Mean difference=7.8min , P<0.001 , Cohen 's d=2.0 ) . CONCLUSIONS Daily middle-school physical activity was the highest during outdoor fitness activities in the Fall and the lowest during indoor motor skill games in the Spring Background This prospect i ve longitudinal study investigates whether suspected motor problems and low preference for active play in childhood are associated with  physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence . Methodology /Principal Findings The study sample consisted of the Northern Finl and Birth Cohort 1986 ( NFBC 1986 ) composed of 5,767 children whose parents responded to a postal inquiry concerning their children 's motor skills at age 8 years and who themselves reported their physical activity at age 16 years .  Cardiorespiratory fitness  was measured with a  cycle ergometer test at age 16 years . Odds ratios ( OR ) and their 95 % confidence intervals ( 95 % CI ) for the level of physical activity and fitness were obtained from multinomial logistic regression and adjusted for socio-economic position and body mass index . Low preference for active play in childhood was associated with physical inactivity ( boys : OR 3.31 , 95 % CI 2.42–4.53 ; girls : OR 1.79 , 95 % CI 1.36–2.36 ) and low cardiorespiratory fitness ( boys : OR 1.87 , 95 % CI 1.27–2.74 ; girls : OR 1.52 , 95 % CI 1.09–2.11 ) in adolescence . Suspected gross ( OR 2.16 , 95 % CI 1.33–3.49 ) and fine ( OR 1.88 , 95 % CI 1.35–2.60 ) motor problems were associated with physical inactivity among boys . Children with suspected motor problems and low preference for active play  tended to have an even higher risk of physical inactivity in adolescence . Conclusions / Significance Low preference for active play in childhood was associated with physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence . Furthermore , children with suspected motor problems and low preference for active play tended to have an even higher risk of physical inactivity in adolescence . Identification of children who do not prefer active play and who have motor problems may allow targeted interventions to support their motor learning and participation in active play and thereby promote their physical activity and fitness in later life PURPOSE  Physical activity ( PA  ) declines dramatically during adolescence , and activity levels are consistently lower among children living in low-income communities . Competency in a range of fundamental movement skills ( FMS ) may serve as a protective factor against the decline in PA typically observed during adolescence . The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a 12-month multicomponent PA and FMS intervention on children attending primary schools in low-income communities . METHODS The Supporting Children 's Outcomes using Rewards , Exercise , and Skills intervention was evaluated using a cluster r and omized controlled trial . The sample included 25 classes from eight primary schools located in low-income communities . Participants were 460 children ( 54.1 % girls ) age 8.5 ± 0.6 yr . Primary outcomes were objective ly measured PA ( ActiGraph GT3X and GT3X+ accelerometers ) , FMS competency ( Test of Gross Motor Development 2 , six locomotor and six object control skills ) , and cardiorespiratory fitness ( 20-m multistage fitness test ) assessed at baseline , midprogram ( 6-months ) , and at posttest ( 12 months ) . Linear mixed models , adjusted for sex , age , body mass index z-score , socioeconomic status , ethnicity , and school class as a r and om factor , were used to assess the effect of the intervention . RESULTS At midprogram , there were no significant intervention effects for any of the outcomes . At posttest ( study 's primary time point ) , there were intervention effects for daily moderate-to-vigorous PA ( MVPA ) ( adjusted mean difference , 12.7 min·d of MVPA ; 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) , 5.0 - 20.5 ) , overall FMS competency ( 4.9 units ; 95 % CI , -0.04 to 9.8 ) , and cardiorespiratory fitness ( 5.4 laps ; 95 % CI , 2.3 - 8.6 ) . CONCLUSIONS A school-based multicomponent PA and FMS intervention maintained daily MVPA , improved overall FMS competency , and increased cardiorespiratory fitness among children attending primary schools in low-income communities Physical fitness , participation in physical activity , fundamental motor skills and body composition are important contributors to the health and the development of a healthy lifestyle among children and youth . The New South Wales Schools  Fitness and Physical Activity Survey , 1997 , was conducted to fill some of the gaps in our knowledge of these aspects of the lives of young people in New South Wales . The survey was conducted in February and March , 1997 and collected data on a r and omly-selected sample of students ( n = 5518 ) in Years 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 and 10 . Measures were taken on body composition ( height and weight , waist and hip girths , skinfolds ) , health-related fitness ( aerobic capacity , muscular strength , muscular endurance , flexibility ) , fundamental motor skills ( run , vertical jump , catch , overh and throw , foreh and strike and kick ) , self-reported physical activity , time spent in sedentary recreation , and physical education ( PE ) classes . The methods are described to assist in the development of surveys of other population s and to provoke debate relevant to the development and dissemination of st and ard approaches to monitoring the fitness , physical activity habits and body composition of Australian children and youth . Finally , we offer comments on some of the strengths and limitations of the methods employed Objective : To investigate the relationships between the time spent in specific intensities of activity and inactivity ,  cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in children . Methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted in a r and om sample of schools . Height , weight and waist circumference were measured in 224 children aged 7–10 years . Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated by the 20 m multistage running test , and physical activity was measured over 4 days by the RT3 ( a triaxial accelerometer ) . Time each day spent in moderate and vigorous intensities of activity was calculated . Results : Twelve schools agreed to participate in the study .  Body composition and fitness data were obtained for 224 children and activity data for 152 children . Boys were found to take part in about twice as much vigorous and hard activity as girls ( mean ( 95 % confidence interval ) 64.3 ( 53.2 to 75.4 ) min in boys compared with 37 ( 33.1 to 40.9 ) min in girls ; p<0.001 ) . In boys there was significant difference between those defined as normal , overweight and obese in the time spent in vigorous activity ( p<0.05 ) , but no such difference was found in girls . A significant negative correlation between waist circumference and time spent in vigorous activity ( r = –0.31 , p<0.05 ) was found in boys but not in girls . Time spent sedentary was positively correlated with waist circumference in boys ( r = 0.33 , p<0.01 ) but not in girls . In both boys and girls there were significant negative correlations between fitness and both body mass index ( r = –0.274 , p<0.001 ) and waist circumference ( boys : r = –0.503 , p<0.01 ; girls : r = –0.286 , p<0.01 ) . Conclusion : In boys , body composition was inversely related to fitness and to vigorous activity and was positively related to inactivity . In girls , body composition was related to fitness but not to specific components of physical activity Abstract Numerous studies have identified a positive association between fundamental movement skill ( FMS ) competency and physical activity in children ; however , the causal pathways have not been established . The aim of this study is to determine if changes in FMS competency mediated the effect of the Supporting Children ’s Outcomes using Rewards , Exercise and Skills ( SCORES ) intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children . Eight primary schools ( 25 classes ) and 460 children ( aged 8.5 ± 0.6 , 54 % girls ) were r and omised to the SCORES intervention or control group for the 12-month study . The outcomes were accelerometer-determined moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) and cardiorespiratory fitness . The hypothesised mediators were actual FMS competency and perceived sport competence . Mediation analyses were conducted using multilevel linear analysis in MPlus . From the original sample , 138 ( 30.0 % ) and 370 ( 80.4 % ) children provided useable physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness data at post-test assessment s. There were significant treatment effects for locomotor skills and overall FMSs . Changes in MVPA were associated with changes in object-control skills , overall FMSs and perceived competence . The overall FMSs had a significant mediating effect on MVPA ( AB = 2.09 , CI = 0.01–4.55 ) . Overall FMSs ( AB = 1.19 , CI = 0.002–2.79 ) and locomotor skills ( AB = 0.74 , CI = 0.01–1.69 ) had a significant mediating effect on cardiorespiratory fitness . The results of this study conclude that actual but not perceived movement skill competency mediated the effect of the SCORES intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness Abstract This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two school-based physical education ( PE ) programmes ( exercise-based and games-based ) compared with traditional PE , on health- and skill-related physical fitness components in children in Tirana , Albania . Participants were 378 first- grade ( 6.8 years ) and 389 fourth- grade ( 9.8 years ) children attending four r and omly selected schools in Tirana . Twenty-four school classes within these schools were r and omly selected ( stratified by school and school grade ) to participate as exercise group ( EG ) , games group ( GG ) and control group ( CG ) . Both EG and GG intervention programmes were taught by professional PE teachers using station/circuit teaching framework while CG referred to traditional PE school lessons by a general teacher . All programmes ran in parallel and lasted 5 months , having the same frequency ( twice weekly ) and duration ( 45 min ) . Heart rate ( HR ) monitoring showed that intensity during PE lessons was significantly higher in the intervention groups compared with control ( P < 0.001 ) . Both PE exercise- and games programmes  significantly improved several health- and skill-related fitness indicators compared with traditional PE lessons ( e.g. gross motor skill summary score : 9.4 ( 95 % CI 7.9 ; 10.9 ) for exercise vs. control and 6.5 ( 95 % CI 5.1 ; 8.1 ) for games vs. control , cardiorespiratory fitness : 2.0 ml O2 · min−1 · kg−1 ( 95 % CI 1.5 ; 2.4 ) for exercise vs. control and 1.4 ml O2 · min−1 · kg−1 ( 95 % CI 1.0 ; 1.8 ) for games vs. control ) . Furthermore , compared to games-based PE , exercise-based PE showed more positive changes in some gross motor coordination skills outcomes , coordination skills outcomes and cardiorespiratory fitness . The results from this study show that exercise- and games-based PE represents a useful strategy for improving health- and skill-related physical fitness in Albanian elementary school children . In addition , the study shows that exercise-based PE was more  effective than games-based PE in improving gross motor function and cardiorespiratory fitness Background Obesity , sedentary lifestyle and poor cardiorespiratory fitness in childhood may increase the risk of health problems later in life . Purpose The authors studied the association of early childhood weight status with cardiorespiratory fitness and leisure-time physical activity ( LTPA ) in adolescence . The stability and associations of LTPA and fitness from childhood through adolescence were also studied . Methods  Body mass index ( BMI ) was assessed annually since birth in a prospect i ve , longitudinal study . The mean BMI between ages 2 and 7 years indicated weight status at preschool age . Fitness was studied with a shuttle run test at age 9 and with a maximal cycle ergometer test at age 17 . The same question naire was used to assess LTPA at age 9 , 13 and 17 . Complete data on preschool BMI , LTPA at ages 13 and 17 and fitness at age 17 years was provided by 351 children , while fitness and LTPA data were available for 74 children at ages 9 and 17 . Results Preschool BMI was inversely associated with fitness in adolescence independently of adolescent LTPA ( p=0.0001 ) . Children who had a high preschool BMI but whose weight status was reduced in adolescence had similar fitness in adolescence as the children with a persistently low BMI . Regardless of the fitness level in childhood , the children whose LTPA increased between age 9 and 17 had a similar adolescent fitness level as persistently active subjects . Conclusions It is important to maintain a healthy body weight and a physically active lifestyle from very childhood through adolescence to improve fitness during adolescence
The systematic review revealed overall positive effects of outdoor time  on physical activity , sedentary behaviour , and cardiorespiratory fitness , although causality could not be assumed due to a lack of RCTs .
Motor skill development was unrelated to outdoor time ; however , this relationship was only examined in a single study of preschool children .
No studies were found that examined associations between outdoor time and musculoskeletal fitness
The objective of this systematic review was to examine the relationship between outdoor time and : ( 1 ) physical activity , ( 2 ) cardiorespiratory fitness , ( 3 ) musculoskeletal fitness , ( 4 ) sedentary behaviour ; or ( 5 ) motor skill development in children aged 3 - 12 years .