Activities to Encourage Physical Activity

Respondents were asked whether their schools used each of four sets of activities or programs to encourage physical activity among elementary grade students in 2005. These were nontraditional physical education activities (e.g., dance or kick-boxing) to make physical education enjoyable, opportunities during the school day for organized physical activities (e.g., walking or running laps at recess), excluding physical education, school-sponsored before- or after-school activities that emphasize physical activity (e.g., walking or running, sports, dance, or group games), and participation in the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Award program. Respondents also specified any other activity or program that may be used to encourage physical activity among elementary grade students at the school.

• Sixty-four percent of public elementary schools used nontraditional physical education activities, such as dance or kick-boxing, to make physical education enjoyable (table 20). A higher proportion of large than small schools reported the use of nontraditional physical education activities, and schools in the Northeast were more likely than those in other regions to report the use of these activities. In addition, schools with the highest poverty concentration were less likely than schools with the two lowest categories of poverty concentration to use nontraditional physical education activities to make physical education enjoyable.
• Fifty-eight percent of public elementary schools provided opportunities during the school day for organized physical activities outside of physical education, including walking or running laps at recess (table 20). Schools in the Central region were less likely than those in other regions to provide these opportunities for organized physical activities.
• Fifty-one percent of public elementary schools offered school-sponsored before- or after-school activities that emphasize physical activity, such as walking or running, sports, dance, or group games (table 20). Schools in the Northeast were more likely than those in the Southeast to offer these school-sponsored before- or after-school activities, and schools with the highest minority enrollment were more likely than those with the lowest minority enrollment to offer these activities.
• Fifty-five percent of public elementary schools participated in the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Award program (table 20). Schools in the West were less likely than those in other regions to participate in this program, and schools with the highest poverty concentration were less likely than those with the two lowest categories of poverty concentration to participate in the program.
• Thirty percent of schools had some other activity, such as Jump Rope for Heart, fun Friday, family fun night, walking with parents, field day, and little Olympics.

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