Reaching the Goal of 60 Minutes of Physical Activity for Children

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Article Summary

Reaching the Goal of 60 Minutes of Physical Activity for Children

February 2013
Author:
David Bassett, PhD, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Topic:
Parks & Recreation, Parks, Playgrounds, Schools, School Policies, Physical Education, Recess, Activity Breaks, Walking and Biking to School
Audience:
Practitioners, Policy-makers, Educators
Population Served:
African American, Latino/Hispanic, Lower-income Families, Multiple Race/Ethnic Sample, School-age Youth (K-12), White
Location by State:
National
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Summary:

The Challenge: Despite overwhelming evidence of the health benefits of physical activity, most American youth are not meeting the national recommendation of 60 minutes per day.

Make an impact: Identifying specific ways to achieve the 60-minute goal can increase physical activity among children.

What the findings are about: This study estimates the number of minutes in physical activity that different approaches, such as walking or biking to schools, increasing physical education time, or having access to parks, could provide for children.

Key Findings and Recommendations:
  • Schools and communities can reach the 60-minute goal in several ways. Three primary ways, such as mandatory daily physical education, classroom physical activity breaks and walking or biking to school, can alone provide 58 minutes of physical activity.
  • The minutes of physical activity gained per day resulting from a total of nine different policy and environmental changes are presented.
  • This information can help legislators, school officials, and other policy-makers make well-informed decisions that can enhance physical activity in youth.

 

Read the full article: Estimated Energy Expenditures for School-Based Policies and Active Living

Download an infographic summarizing the findings: What Works to Get Kids Active

Download a related President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Research Digest: Policies to Increase Youth Physical Activity in School and Community Settings

Suggested Citations:
Bassett, D.R. et al. (2013). Estimated Energy Expenditures for School-Based Policies and Active Living. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 44(2), 108-113.
 

Related Tools & Resources

All Tools & Resources

Estimated Energy Expenditures for School-Based Policies and Active Living
Document Type: Research Papers
Topics:
Parks & Recreation, Parks, Playgrounds, Schools, School Policies, Physical Education, Recess, Activity Breaks, Walking and Biking to School

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