Physical Activity Time and Intensity in Physical Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

A 10-week play-based after-school program to improve coordinative abilities and physical fitness capabilities among adolescents: a randomized trial

The average levels of physical activity in children are below the ideal, which may influence children's health and motor competence levels. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of a 10-week play-based after-school program on 50 twelve-year-old students' anthropometric characteristics (body height and body weight), coordinative abilities (flamingo balance test and T-test agility), and physical fitness (sit and reach, 20-m sprint test, SLJ, CMJ, and handgrip). After baseline assessments, the students were randomly divided into two groups: one participating in a play-based after-school program (experimental group) and the other attending regular PE classes (control group). No differences were noted between the sexes. Analysis revealed baseline differences between groups in body weight, agility T-test, and right-handgrip, with no significant sex differences. Following the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated improvements in the 20-m sprint test (F(1,46) = 11.03, p < 0.01), flamingo balance test (F(1,46) = 9.16, p = 0.004), SLJ (F(1,46) = 5.30, p = 0.03), agility T-test (F(1,46) = 28.30, p < 0.01), and right-handgrip (F(1,46) = 6.59, p < 0.01). In summary, the results suggested that a 10-week play-based after-school program enhances coordinative abilities and physical fitness in 12-year-old children. This underscores the potential advantages of integrating play-based physical activities into schools to promote holistic health and fitness in children.

Comparing the Use and Effectiveness of In-Person and Remote Physical Education Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

Physical Education is a key component to improve youth health, but there is limited information on Physical Education delivery in different formats.

PURPOSE

We compared PE formats (in-person versus remote) across evaluation aspects: weekly minutes; perceived effectiveness; and student-to-teacher ratio.

METHODS

We distributed questionnaires (2020-2021 school year) to school contacts who represented NFL Play 60 FitnessGram® Project (n=216) schools in multiple US cities. Questionnaires entailed learning format, weekly PE minutes, perceived effectiveness, and student-to-teacher ratio. We used linear mixed models to compare PE formats across evaluation variables.

RESULTS

Among 165 schools, 10% (n=17) offered in-person instruction, 31% (n=51) offered remote instruction, and 59% offered both (n=97). Results revealed higher in-person PE minutes (77.2±7.3) compared to remote minutes (67.1±14.6), but results were not significantly different (p=0.19). School contacts reported significantly more effective in-person PE (4.0) than remote PE (2.8, p<0.001). In-person PE also had significantly smaller reported student-to-teacher ratio (16.7) compared to remote PE (23.7, p<0.001).

DISCUSSION

Findings indicate PE was offered during the pandemic, but remote learning appeared less effective than in-person PE.

TRANSLATION to HEALTH EDUCATION PRACTICE

Efforts are needed to improve remote PE to reinforce high-quality PE in the future.