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Educating the Student Body
tary time in the school setting hold promise for increasing overall physical 
activity among children and adolescents, yet isolating the impact of these 
strategies is complex, and they are often met with resistance from key 
stakeholders. With respect to recess, its use to increase physical activity is 
a nationally recommended strategy, and there is evidence that participating 
in recess can increase physical activity and improve classroom behavior. 
However, implementation of recess across school districts and states is not 
currently at a sufficient level to increase physical activity. 
Effective and promising strategies beyond the school day include 
after-school programming and sports, as well as active transport to and 
from school. After-school programming and participation in sports are 
important physical activity opportunities in the school setting, but imple-
mentation of and access to these opportunities vary greatly. Moreover, for-
mal policies adopting physical activity standards for after-school programs 
are needed. Finally, evidence shows that children who walk or bike to 
school are more physically active than those who do not. Successful active 
transport interventions address policy and infrastructure barriers. 
Also associated with the school environment are agreements between 
schools and communities to share facilities as places to be physically active. 
Although this is a relatively new research topic, these joint-use agreements 
can be a way to give youth additional opportunities for physical activity 
outside of school. Further research is needed on the utilization of facilities 
due to these agreements and their impact on physical activity.
Potential Actions
For states, school districts, schools, and school wellness committees, 
potential actions to implement this recommendation include
•
designating individuals or committees specifically responsible for 
physical activity–related opportunities and programs (an emphasis 
on physical activity is important and new enough that these indi-
viduals should not also be responsible for programs directed at 
worthy but already well-established health-related behaviors such as 
nutrition or drug abuse);
•
specifying objectives for vigorous- and moderate-intensity physical 
activity during all segments of the school day (e.g., physical educa-
tion, recess, classroom, transport to and from school, before- and 
after-school programs); and
•
working with leading professional organizations across disciplines to 
emphasize the importance of physical activity and encourage them 
to embed this priority into their national recommendations or posi-
tion statements.

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
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