Children’s physical activity (PA) is increasingly restricted by the fast pace of modern life. Schools are the opportune setting in which to increase PA during daily recess. The purpose of this study was to record the degree of PA of 6th grade primary school students during recess and determine whether the playground size and available equipment can influence the degree of students’ PA. The study sample comprised of 625 12-year-old students, 324 (51.8%) boys and 301 (48.2%) girls. The PA during recess was calculated by Metabolic Equivalent Time (MET*min) using a self-reference questionnaire. The impact of schoolyard size and equipment on MET*min was evaluated by Kruskal–Wallis analysis of variance (ANOVA). The students’ PA (MET*min) during recess was higher at schools with a large schoolyard (197.55±133.15 MET*min), compared with medium size (152.65±109.23 MET*min) and small ones (117.69±104.22 MET*min), (χ2=50.629, p<0.001). Moreover, students were more physically active during recess in adequately equipped schools (187.11±124.21 MET*min), compared with partially (158.84±128.61 MET*min) or inadequately equipped ones (114.19±89.13 MET*min). This indicates a strong positive relationship between PA and equipment (χ2=21.277, p<0.001). An encouraging school environment can motivate pre-adolescent children to be more physically active and therefore healthier. These data reveal that spacious schoolyards rich in outdoor facilities can lead to more physically active behaviour among students during recess.
AinsworthBEHaskellWLLeonAS. (1993) Compendium of physical activities: Classification of energy costs of human physical activities. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise25: 71–80.
2.
BebetsosEGoulimarisD (2014) Personal outcome and leadership as defining factors of satisfaction in the context of the course “arts II: Overview of greek music and dance” of the Hellenic open university. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education15: 12–24.
3.
BlaesARidgersNDAucouturierJ. (2013) Effects of a playground marking intervention on school recess physical activity in French children. Preventive Medicine57: 580–584.
4.
BoothMLOkelyADCheyT. (2002) Epidemiology of physical activity participation among New South Wales school students. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health26: 371–374.
5.
BoultonM (1992) Participation in playground activities at middle school. Educational Research34: 167–182.
6.
BundyALuckettTTranterP. (2009) The risk is that there is ‘no risk’: A simple, innovative intervention to increase children’s activity levels. International Journal of Early Years Education17: 33–45.
7.
DymentJBellALucasA (2009) The relationship between school ground design and intensity of physical activity. Children’s Geographies7: 261–276.
8.
EngelenLBundyACNaughtonG. (2013) Increasing physical activity in young primary school children—it’s child’s play: A cluster randomised controlled trial. Preventive Medicine56: 319–325.
9.
ErwinHAbelMBeighleA. (2012) The contribution of recess to children’s school-day physical activity. Journal of Physical Activity and Health9: 442–448.
10.
EscalanteYBackxKSaavedraJM. (2011) Relationship between daily physical activity, recess physical activity, age and sex in scholar of Primary School, Spain. Revista Española de Salud Pública85: 481–489.
11.
EscalanteYBackxKSaavedraJM. (2012) Play area and physical activity in recess in primary schools. Kinesiology. International Journal of Fundamental and Applied Kinesiology44: 123–129.
12.
EscalanteYBackxKSaavedraJM (2014a) Relationship between break-time physical activity, age, and sex in a rural Primary Schools, Wales, UK. Journal of Human Kinetics40: 227–234.
13.
EscalanteYGarcía-HermosoABackxK. (2014b) Playground designs to increase physical activity levels during school recess: A systematic review. Health Education and Behavior41: 138–144.
14.
FarleyTAMeriwetherRABakerET. (2008) Where do children play? The influence of playground equipment on physical activity of children in free play. Journal of Physical Activity and Health5: 319–331.
15.
GoulimarisDKoutsoubaMGiososY (2008) The organization of a distance postgraduate dance programme and the participation of the participation of students specializing in dance. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education9: 59–73.
16.
GoulimarisDMavridisGGentiM. (2014) Relationships between basic psychological needs and psychological well-being in recreational dance activities. Journal of Physical Education and Sport14: 277–284.
17.
HartenNOldsTDollmanJ (2008) The effects of gender, motor skills and play area on the free play activities of 8-11 year old school children. Health Place14: 386–393.
18.
HaugETorsheimTSallisJF. (2010) The characteristics of the outdoor school environment associated with physical activity. Health Education Research25: 248–256.
19.
HOSB (Hellenic Organization of School Buildings) (1982) Hellenic Ministry of Education, Athens, Greece.
20.
HOSB (Hellenic Organization of School Buildings) (2008) Guidelines for Tuition at all levels of Education. Athens, Greece: Hellenic Ministry of Education.
21.
HubertyJSiahpushMBeighleA. (2011) Ready for recess: A pilot study to increase physical activity in elementary school children. Journal of School Health81: 251–257.
22.
JarvisP (2007) Dangerous activities within an invisible playground: A study of emergent male football play and teachers’ perspectives of outdoor free play in the early years of primary school. International Journal of Early Years Education15: 245–259.
23.
JettéMSidneyKBlümchenG (1990) Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical Cardiology13: 555–565.
24.
KristjansdottirGVilhjalmssonR (2001) Sociodemographic differences in patterns of sedentary and physically active behavior in older children and adolescents. Acta Paediatrica90: 429–435.
25.
LopesVVasquesCMSFerreira Leite de Oliveira PereiraMB. (2006) Physical activity patterns during school recess: A study in children 6 to 10 years old. International Electronic Journal of Health Education9: 192–201.
26.
MaitlandCStrattonGFosterS. (2013) A place for play? The influence of the home physical environment on children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity10: 99.
27.
MatsoukaOHarahousouYKabitsisC. (2003a) The effects of a recreational exercise program with differentiated frequency on functional capacity and daily activities patterns in older women. European Journal of Sport Science3: 1–13.
28.
MatsoukaOHarahousouYKabitsisCTrigonisI (2003b) Does a three month exercise program enhance the subjective view of the mobility level among elderly women?Journal of Human Movement Studies44: 373–385.
29.
MotaJSilvaPSantosMP. (2005) Physical activity and school recess time: Differences between the sexes and the relationship between children’s playground physical activity and habitual physical activity. Journal of Sports Sciences23: 269–275.
30.
NaylorPJMcKayHA (2009) Prevention in the first place: Schools a setting for action on physical inactivity. British Journal of Sports Medicine43: 10–13.
31.
NicaiseVKahanDReubenK. (2012) Evaluation of a redesigned outdoor space on preschool children’s physical activity during recess. Pediatric Exercise Science24: 507–518.
32.
NielsenGBuggeAHermansenB. (2012) School playground facilities as a determinant of children’s daily activity: A cross-sectional study of Danish primary school children. Journal of Physical Activity and Health9: 104–114.
33.
OzdemirAYilmazO (2008) Assessment of outdoor school environments and physical activity in Ankara’s primary schools. Journal of Environmental Psychology28: 287–300.
34.
PerryCLStoneEJParcelGS. (1990) School-based cardiovascular health promotion: Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH). Journal of School Health60: 406–413.
35.
RivkinM (1997) The Schoolyard habitat movement: What it is and why children need it. Early Childhood Education Journal25: 61–66.
36.
SallisJF (1991) Self-reported measures of children’s physical activity. The Journal of School Health61: 215–219.
SallisJFCerveroRBAscherW. (2006) An ecological approach to creating active living communities. Annual Review of Public Health27: 297–322.
39.
SallisJFMcKenzieTLConwayTL. (2003) Environmental interventions for eating and physical activity: A randomized controlled trial in middle schools. American Journal of Preventive Medicine24: 209–217.
40.
SallisJFProchaskaJJTaylorWS (2000) A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise32: 963–975.
41.
SimmensHPonessaJJonesG. (2007) Schoolyard Planning and Design in New Jersey. Enhancing Outdoor Play and Learning. Newark, NJ: The Center for Architecture and Building Science Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark.
42.
SirardJRPateRR (2001) Physical activity assessment in children and adolescents. Sports Medicine31: 439–454.
43.
StrattonGMullanE (2005) The effect of multicolor playground markings on children’s physical activity level during recess. Preventive Medicine41: 828–833.
44.
StrongWBMalinaRMBlimkieCJ. (2005) Evidence-based physical activity for school-age youth. Journal of Pediatrics146: 732–737.
45.
TaylorRWFarmerVLCameronSL. (2011) School playgrounds and physical activity policies as predictors of school and home time activity. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity27: 8–38.
46.
ThomsonS (2007) Do’s and don’ts: children’s experiences of the primary school playground. Environmental Education Research13: 487–500.
47.
TsitskariETzetzisGVernadakisN (2014) Assessing fan motivation in a Greek population; the psychometric evaluation of SPEED. International Journal of Sport Psychology45: 138–156.
48.
VerstraeteSJMCardonGMDe ClercqDLR. (2006) Increasing children’s physical activity levels during recess periods in elementary schools: The effects of providing game equipment. European Journal of Public Health16: 415–419.
49.
WeinsteinCSPinciottiP (1988) Changing a schoolyard: Intentions, design decisions, and behavioral outcomes. Environment and Behavior20: 345–371.
50.
WillenbergLJAshboltRHollandD. (2010) Increasing school playground physical activity: A mixed methods study combining environmental measures and children’s perspectives. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport13: 210–216.
51.
ZaskAVan BeurdenEBarnettL. (2001) Active school playgrounds-myth or reality? Results of the “move it groove it” project. Preventive Medicine33: 402–408.
