Knowledge in Action (KIA) Fitness

Initiative Description: Knowledge in Action (KIA) fitness was developed to offer elementary teachers effective health-related fitness knowledge (HRFK) instructional tool that can be implemented during physical education class. The design of KIA fitness is simple: it involves a total of seven lessons, with each lesson composed of four different health-enhancing stations that are situated in the four corners of the playing area. These four activities are self-sufficient and require minimal equipment. The KIA activities are accompanied by an instructional aid (e.g., visual prompt, sign, etc.) with conceptual health statements, informing the student how to conduct the activities.

Study Results: Students in the KIA group accrued significantly more physical activity, F(245) = 32.38, p < .001, and gained more steps on average (871.20) than the control group (762.38). HRFK can positively affect students’ engagement in physical activity during leisure time.

Reference: Hodges, M. (2015). An innovative strategy for teaching health-related fitness knowledge in elementary physical education classes. Strategies, 28(4), 19–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/08924562.2015.1044145

Level of Evidence: Good