Effects of a Brief Physical Activity Program on Young Students’ Physical Fitness

Abstract

Background. Our objective was to test whether brief daily activity could increase young students’ physical fitness and compare different forms of intervention delivery. Methods. Two intervention groups were instructed to increase children’s activity by 6 minutes daily. The principal was responsible for the intervention in the first group while classroom teachers were responsible in the second. The third group was a control. Success was defined by changes in student fitness. Results. The principal-led group had a significant increase in the number of 75-foot laps completed after intervention (+0.61 laps) and a significant decrease in after-exercise heart rate (−37.4 beats per minute) as compared with the control group. The teacher-led group experienced no change in either outcome. Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate that a 6-minute increase in activity can produce a significant improvement in student fitness. Administrative support of school-based interventions can have a positive impact on program completion.