Initiative Description: Classroom PA delivered with academic lessons: “Academic Achievement and Physical Activity Across the Curriculum” (A+PAAC). Teachers were asked to deliver two, 10-minute A+PAAC lessons per day, one lesson in the morning and the other in the afternoon, 5 days per week. The use of A+PAAC lessons outside the classroom, such as during field trips, was also permitted.

Classroom teachers in the intervention schools were trained by study staff to deliver A+PAAC. Classroom physical activity was observed every other week using the activity portion of System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT). Time-on-task (TOT) was assessed by study staff on the same random schedule for recording classroom physical activity.  Each child was observed for 10 seconds, after which the appropriate behavior code was circled. This procedure was repeated over the 5-minute interval to result in a total of ~ 20 observations per child.

Study Results: Students who participated in PA lessons engaged in significantly more MVPA than those in the control schools in all three years (all p<.001). The intervention group spent significantly more TOT (p=.01) following PA than the control group. The percent of time spent in MVPA was significantly associated with the percent of TOT (p<.01).

Reference: Szabo-Reed, A. N., Willis, E. A., Lee, J., Hillman, C. H., Washburn, R. A., & Donnelly, J. E. (2017). Impact of Three Years of Classroom Physical Activity Bouts on Time-on-Task Behavior. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 49(11), 2343-2350.

Level of Evidence: Excellent