Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research article

A stepped-wedge implementation and evaluation of the healthy active peaceful playgrounds for youth (HAPPY) intervention

Authors: Dean Dudley, Wayne Cotton, Louisa Peralta, Matthew Winslade

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2018

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Increasing physical activity in children is a health priority. The Healthy Active Peaceful Playgrounds for Youth (HAPPY) study aimed to examine a multi-component playground intervention designed to increase the proportion of physical activity during recess and lunch of primary school students.

Methods

The 2016 Australian focused HAPPY Study was a 12-month, metropolitan primary school based intervention, which was evaluated using a stepped wedge design. The intervention combined teacher development, environmental modifications, and peer support, with the outcomes of increasing physical activity, and analysing students’ sources of social support to be physically active.

Results

Between baseline and follow-up, the proportion of students involved in vigorous activities during recess and lunch times increased significantly from 15 to 25% (p < 0.001). No differences were recorded in sources of social support.

Conclusions

The HAPPY project demonstrated an increase in the proportion of physical activity intensity during recess and lunch times in primary schools, although further investigation is required to determine what components of the study had the greatest effect.

Trial registration

This study was retrospectively registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616000575​437. Date of registration: 4 May 2016.
Literature
1.
Andersen LB, Riddoch C, Kriemler S, Hills AP. Physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors in children. Br J Sports Med. 2011;871-876(417):45.
2.
Janssen I, Leblanc AG. Systematic review of the health benefits of physical activity and fitness in school-aged children and youth. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2010;7:40.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
3.
Lubans D, Richards J, Hillman C, et al. Physical activity for cognitive and mental health in youth: a systematic review of mechanisms. Pediatrics. 2016;138(3):e20161642.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Fedewa AL, Ahn S. The effects of physical activity and physical fitness on children's achievement and cognitive outcomes: a meta-analysis. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2011;82:521–35.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Tomporowski PD, Davis CL, Miller PH, Naglieri JA. Exercise and children's intelligence, cognition, and academic achievement. Educ Psychol Rev. 2008;20:111–4.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
6.
Ahn S, Fedewa AL. A meta-analysis of the relationship between children's physical activity and mental health. J Pediatr Psychol. 2011;36:385–97.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Hallal PC, Andersen LB, Bull FC, Guthold R, Haskell W, Ekelund U. Global physical activity levels: surveillance progress, pitfalls, and prospects. Lancet. 2012;380(9838):247–57.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Hardy LL, Mihrshahi S, Drayton BA, Bauman A. NSW schools physical activity and nutrition survey (SPANS) 2015: full report. Sydney: NSW Department of Health; 2016.
9.
Langford R, Bonell CP, Jones HE, Pouliou T, Murphy SM, Waters E, Komro KA, Gibbs LF, Magnus D, Campbell R. The WHO health promoting school framework for improving the health and well-being of students and their academic achievement. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;4:CD008958.
10.
Hills AP, Dengel DR, Lubans DR. Supporting public health priorities: recommendations for physical education and physical activity promotion in schools. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2015;57(4):368–74.CrossRefPubMed
11.
McKenzie TL, Lounsbery MA. School physical education: the pill not taken. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2009;3:219–25.CrossRef
12.
Morgan P, Hansen V. Recommendations to improve primary school physical education: classroom teachers' perspective. J Educ Res. 2007;101(2):99–108.CrossRef
13.
14.
Huberty J, Siahpush M, Beighle A, Fuhrmeister E, Silva P, Welk G. Ready for recess: a pilot study to increase physical activity in elementary school children. J School Health. 2011;81(5):251–7.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Bailey DP, Fairclough SJ, Savory LA, Denton SJ, Pang D, Deane CS, Kerr CJ. Accelerometry-assessed sedentary behaviour and physical activity levels during the segmented school day in 10-14-year-old children: the HAPPY study. Eur J Pediatr. 2012;171:1805–13.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Weaver RG, Crimarco A, Brusseau TA, Webster CA, Burns RD, Hannon JC. Accelerometry-derived physical activity of first through third grade children during the segmented school day. J Sch Health. 2016;86:726–33.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Ridgers ND, Stratton G, Fairclough SJ, Twisk JW. Long-term effects of a playground markings and physical structures on children's recess physical activity levels. Prev Med. 2007;44(5):393–7.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Hyndman BP, Benson AC, Ullah S, Telford A. Evaluating the effects of the lunchtime enjoyment activity and play (LEAP) school playground intervention on children’s quality of life, enjoyment and participation in physical activity. BMC Public Health. 2014;14(1):164.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
19.
Farmer VL, Williams SM, Mann JI, Schofield G, McPhee JC, Taylor RW. The effect of increasing risk and challenge in the school playground on physical activity and weight in children: a cluster randomised controlled trial (PLAY). Int J Obes. 2017;41(5):793.CrossRef
20.
Ridgers ND, Salmon J, Parrish AM, Stanley RM, Okely AD. Physical activity during school recess: a systematic review. Am J Prev Med. 2012;43(3):320–8.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Hohepa M, Scragg R, Schofield G, Kolt GS, Schaaf D. Social support for youth physical activity: importance of siblings, parents, friends and school support across a segmented school day. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2007;4:54.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
22.
Farmer VL, Williams SM, Mann JI, Schofield G, McPhee JC, Taylor RW. Change of school playground environment on bullying: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics. 2017;139(5):e20163072.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Cotton W, Dudley D, Jackson K, Winslade M, Atkin J. Rationale and protocol paper for the healthy active peaceful playgrounds for youth (HAPPY) study. BMC Public Health. 2017;17:520.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
24.
25.
Dudley DA, Cotton WG, Winslade MJ, Wright BJ, Jackson KS, Brown AM, Rock V. An objective and cross-sectional examination of sun-safe behaviours in new South Wales primary schools. BMC Public Health. 2017;17(21):1.
26.
Sallis JF, Prochaska JJ, Taylor WC, Hill JO, Geraci JC. Correlates of physical activity in a national sample of girls and boys in grades 4 through 12. Health Psychol. 1999;18(4):410.CrossRefPubMed
27.
Sallis JF, Taylor WC, Dowda M, Freedson PS, Pate RR. Correlates of vigorous physical activity for children in grades 1 through 12: comparing parent-reported and objectively measured physical activity. Paediatr Exerc Sci. 2002;14:30.CrossRef
28.
Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. 2nd ed. Hillsdale: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates; 1998.
29.
Parrish AM, Okely AD, Stanley RM, Ridgers ND. The effect of school recess interventions on physical activity. Sports Med. 2013;43(4):287–99.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Ridgers ND, Stratton G, Fairclough SJ. Physical activity levels of children during school playtime. Sports Med. 2006;36(4):359–71.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Pate RR, Baranowski TO, Dowda M, Trost SG. Tracking of physical activity in young children. Med Sci Sport Ex. 1996;28(1):92–6.CrossRef
32.
Blatchford P, Baines E, Pellegrini A. The social context of school playground games: sex and ethnic differences, and changes over time after entry to junior school. Brit J Dev Psych. 2003;21(4):481–505.CrossRef
33.
Knowles ZR, Parnell D, Stratton G, Ridgers ND. Learning from the experts: exploring playground experience and activities using a write and draw technique. J Phys Act Health. 2013;10(3):406–15.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Pellegrini AD. Research and policy on children’s play. Child Dev Pers. 2009;3(2):131–6.CrossRef
35.
Powell E, Woodfield LA, Nevill AA. Children’s physical activity levels during primary school break times: a quantitative and qualitative research design. Eur Phys Edu Rev. 2016;22(1):82–98.CrossRef
36.
Tranter PJ, Malone K. Geographies of environmental learning: an exploration of children's use of school grounds. Child Geog. 2004;2(1):131–55.CrossRef
37.
Bundy AC, Naughton G, Tranter P, Wyver S, Baur L, Schiller W, Bauman A, Engelen L, Ragen J, Luckett T, Niehues A. The Sydney playground project: popping the bubblewrap-unleashing the power of play: a cluster randomized controlled trial of a primary school playground-based intervention aiming to increase children's physical activity and social skills. BMC Pub Hlth. 2011;11(1):680.CrossRef
38.
McKenzie TL. 2009 CH McCloy lecture seeing is believing: observing physical activity and its contexts. Res Quart Ex Sport. 2010;81(2):113–22.
Metadata
Title
A stepped-wedge implementation and evaluation of the healthy active peaceful playgrounds for youth (HAPPY) intervention
Authors
Dean Dudley
Wayne Cotton
Louisa Peralta
Matthew Winslade
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5397-6

Other articles of this Issue 1/2018

BMC Public Health 1/2018 Go to the issue

Research article

Contextualising health screening risk assessments in police custody suites – qualitative evaluation from the HELP-PC study in London, UK

Research article

The economic burden of cardiovascular disease and hypertension in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Research article

Impact of geographic distance on appraisal delay for active TB treatment seeking in Uganda: a network analysis of the Kawempe Community Health Cohort Study

Research article

Continued increases in blood pressure over two decades in Samoa (1991–2013); around one-third of the increase explained by rising obesity levels

Research article

Cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure trend analyses from 2002 to 2016: after the implementation of a salt reduction strategy

Research article

Awareness, understanding and use of sodium information labelled on pre-packaged food in Beijing:a cross-sectional study