NCOIS PhD Candidate Adam Shoesmith recently published a study in BMC Public Health looking at factors to support sustainment of weekly physical activity in schools.
Adam and his team used a thorough and proven measure to look at the factors that are related to schools continuing to deliver weekly physical activity once initial support is withdrawn. They also asked teachers which strategies they think are most useful (and are therefore most likely to keep using) to support their ongoing delivery of physical activity programs.
The team found that the most useful support strategies, according to teachers, include:
- Providing equipment packs that enable energisers (in-class activity breaks) or active lessons.
- Providing an information pack to upskill new staff about the program and how to apply it.
- Creating a whole school physical activity plan outlining the school’s steps to ensure the physical activity policy is met in the future.
- Support strategies that teachers thought were less useful include training sessions; monitoring and feedback; and ongoing contact or support from external program providers.
Reference: Shoesmith, A., Hall, A., Wolfenden, L. et al. School-level factors associated with the sustainment of weekly physical activity scheduled in Australian elementary schools: an observational study. BMC Public Health 22, 1408 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13732-6
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