| Literature DB >> 35607277 |
Nicole Papadopoulos1, Ana Mantilla1, Katherine Bussey1, Chloe Emonson1, Lisa Olive2, Jane McGillivray2, Caterina Pesce3, Samantha Lewis1, Nicole Rinehart1.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Engaging in classroom-based physical activity (PA) breaks may help increase children's subjective wellbeing and enjoyment of PA, important precursors for children to remain engaged in PA. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the effect of brief classroom-based PA interventions on primary school children's subjective wellbeing and enjoyment of PA.Entities:
Keywords: active breaks; exercise; self-confidence and QoL; self-efficacy
Mesh:
Year: 2022 PMID: 35607277 PMCID: PMC9545911 DOI: 10.1111/josh.13196
Source DB: PubMed Journal: J Sch Health ISSN: 0022-4391 Impact factor: 2.460
Figure 1Flow Diagram of the Study Selection Process
Overview of Studies Evaluating Subjective Wellbeing Outcomes
| Study, Country | Design | Aim | Participants | Intervention | Characteristics of PA Intervention | Length and Duration | Measure of Wellbeing | Primary Outcome(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergh et al. (2012), Norway | Cluster randomized controlled trial | To assess the impact of the Health in Adolescents (HEIA) intervention on psychological and environmental determinants of physical activity and sedentary behavior. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 1580. Analyzed: N = 1384. Grade 6 students. INT: n = 499 | Intervention consisted of one 90‐minute classroom lesson that was theoretically driven, short physical activity breaks, campaigns promoting active commuting, play equipment to encourage physical activity at recess, fact sheets for parents and a course for physical education teachers. | Short physical activity breaks administered once a week during lessons. | A modified version of the “self‐efficacy related to barriers for physical activity” scale from previous research. | There was a borderline significant effect of the intervention on children's self‐efficacy related to barriers for physical activity at 8 months follow up (“mid‐way,” p = .05), reflecting a slightly larger increase in self‐efficacy in the intervention group. | |
| Caballero et al. (2003), USA | Randomized controlled trial | To investigate the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention at school in preventing weight gain in school aged children. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 1760. Analyzed: N = 1409. Children enrolled at the end of grade 2. | “The Pathways Study” intervention which targeted; (1) Food service; (2) Physical activity; (3) Classroom curriculum on a healthy lifestyle; (4) A family‐based program | The classroom physical activity component aimed to increase energy expenditure in the classroom and involved simple indoor and outdoor exercises. | 2‐10 minute physical activity breaks during classroom time. |
A scale developed in the feasibility phase of the Pathways Study about children's diet and physical activity related knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Specifically, the “self‐efficacy related to physical activity” scale was used. | No significant changes were observed for physical activity self‐efficacy. |
| Ehud et al. (2010), Israel | Pre‐post study | To investigate the impact of a yoga intervention in war affected school children. | Enrolled at baseline and analyzed: N = 122. School children aged 8‐12 years. | 13 yoga sessions during the school day over 4 months that comprised of a combination of breathing and physical exercises. | Yoga type movements. | 13 yoga sessions conducted by yoga instructors during the school day over a period of 4 months. | A questionnaire based on the WHO (5) Well‐Being Index (1998). | No difference in pre‐post intervention scores on the WHO (5) Well‐being Index. |
| Fu and Burns, (2018), USA | Quasi‐experimental design | To investigate health‐related fitness, school day step count, and motivation effects of an active video game classroom curriculum program in sixth‐grade students. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 66. Analyzed: N = 65. Sixth‐grade students (M = 30, F = 36; Meanage = 11.6 y). INT: n = 33 (M = 15, F = 18); Meanage = 12.0 y. CON: n = 32 (M = 16, F = 17); Meanage = 11.6 y. |
Each session in the active video game classroom curriculum involved 15 minutes of “GoNoodle,” 10 minutes of “Adventure to Fitness” and 5 minutes of “Cosmic Kids Yoga” during class time, in the classroom. Sessions were supervised by the classroom teacher and a trained graduate assistant. | The active video games included activities such as dance, aerobics, locomotor skill games and video adventures of different parts of the world. | Three, 30‐minute sessions per week for 18 weeks. | Self‐efficacy was measured using a 6‐item self‐report questionnaire with a 5‐point Likert scale previously used by Gao et al. | No significant changes were observed for self‐efficacy. |
| Fu et al. (2019), USA | Longitudinal repeated measure design | To explore trends of children's sedentary behavior, physical activity and motivation during a 12‐week active video game program in the classroom. | Enrolled at baseline and analyzed: N = 16. Elementary school students (Meanage = 7.1 y; M = 10, F = 6). | Three 10‐minute active video game sessions per school day for 12 weeks. Each session was led by the classroom teacher and involved 5 minutes of “GoNoodle,” 2‐3 mins of “Adventure to Fitness” and 2‐3 mins of “Cosmic Kids Yoga.” | Each of the active video games were comparable in intensity, difficulty and category. The games involved a range of activities including dance, aerobic workouts, race competitions, locomotor skills games and active video clips of several situations. | Three 10‐minute sessions per school day for 12 weeks. | A 6‐item scale previously used by Gao et al. was used to measure children's self‐efficacy. | No significant trends were observed for children's self‐efficacy across the program. |
| Glapa et al. (2018), Poland | Pre‐post study | To explore the impact of Brain Breaks® Physical Activity Solutions on children's attitudes toward physical activity. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 400. Analyzed: N = 326. Grade 3 to 5 children (M = 170; F = 156) aged 9‐11 years. INT: n = 264; Meanage = 9.6 years. CON: n = 62; Meanage = 10.1 years. | Brain Breaks Physical Activity Solutions. The breaks aim to motivate children to enhance their physical activity. | Children have the opportunity to learn new motor skills, coordination, and dance. | 3‐5 minute breaks performed by children 2 times per day over the duration of 4 months. | The APAS. Specifically, the “self‐efficacy in learning with video exercises,” and “self‐confidence on physical fitness” scales. |
Children in the intervention reported significantly higher scores on the “self‐efficacy in learning with video exercises” scale at post‐test than the control group ( No significant differences in other subscales (ie, self‐confidence on physical fitness) were found. |
| Hartmann et al. (2010), Switzerland | Cluster randomized controlled trial | To assess whether a school‐based physical activity program has an impact on children's physical and psychosocial quality of life. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 540. Analyzed: N = 411. First‐grade (aged 6‐8 years) and fifth‐grade (aged 10‐12 years) children. First grade: INT: n = 111; Meanage = 6.9 years. CON: n = 69; Meanage = 6.9 years. Fifth grade: INT: n = 146; Meanage = 11 years. CON: n = 85; Meanage = 11.3 years. | The Kinder Sportstudies (KISS) intervention comprised of two 45 minute physical education lessons per week, led by experts in addition to the usual 3 physical education lessons given by classroom teachers, daily classroom‐based physical activity breaks, adaptation of playgrounds to promote physical activity as well as physical activity homework. | Several short activity breaks were introduced to academic lessons (approx. 2‐5 minutes in duration) throughout the day. | The Child Health Questionnaire (German Version) was used to measure QoL. | There was a significant effect of the intervention on children's psychosocial QoL in first graders ( | |
| Koch et al. (2019), USA | Cluster randomized controlled trial | To evaluate outcomes of the Food, Health & Choices intervention. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 1365. Analyzed: N = 769. Fifth‐grade students (M = 369, F = 400). Curriculum: n = 225 (M = 101, F = 124). Wellness: n = 167 (M = 83, F = 84). Curriculum +Wellness: n = 233 (M = 109, F = 124). Control: n = 144 (M = 76, F = 68). | A multi‐component intervention called Food, Health & Choices. This program involved a classroom curriculum program which includes 23 science lessons, a classroom wellness program which includes a healthy eating component (“Think Before You Bring Food Policy”) and a physical activity component using dance breaks, and family newsletters. | The dance breaks were led by teachers and involved a warm‐up, 2 songs worth of dancing and a cool down. Research staff trained the class in choreography of 2 new songs every 4 weeks. | A 10‐minute dance break was conducted daily for the duration of a school year. | The Food, Health & Choices Questionnaire was used to measure self‐efficacy for 6 target behaviors (“do more” fruits and vegetables and physical activity, and “do less” consumption of sweetened beverages, processed and packaged snacks, fast food, and recreational screen time). | No significant changes were observed for self‐efficacy. |
| Kriemler et al. (2010), Switzerland | Cluster randomized controlled trial | To investigate the effectiveness of a school‐based physical activity program on primary school aged children's physical and psychological health. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 540 Analyzed: N = 502. First‐ and fifth‐grade children. First grade: Meanage = 6.9 years. Fifth grade: Meanage = 11.1 years. | A multicomponent physical activity intervention which consisted of an additional 2 physical education lessons per week (taught by physical education teachers), daily short activity breaks during academic lessons, and physical activity homework. | The break consisted of motor skill tasks (such as jumping and balancing) and games. | 2‐5 minute activity breaks, 3‐5 times a day administered in class time. | QoL (physical and psychological) assessed by the Child Health Questionnaire. | No significant changes were observed. |
| Meyer et al. (2014), Switzerland | Cluster randomized controlled trial | To report a 3‐year follow‐up study that compares a modified school‐based physical activity program to a traditional physical education program. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 502 (INT 297, CON 205). Analyzed: N = 289. First graders: INT: n = 108; Meanage = 6.9 years. CON: n = 65; Meanage = 6.9 years. Fifth graders: INT: n = 81; Meanage = 10.9 years. CON: n = 35; Meanage = 11.1 years. | The intervention consisted of 2 additional physical education sessions lasting 45 minutes each (led by physical education teachers), activity breaks conducted during class time and 10 minutes of physical activity for homework daily. | Motor activities such as balancing and jumping. | 2‐5 minute activity breaks were conducted 3‐5 times every day during class time. | The Child Health Questionnaire. | Compared to baseline, no significant difference in physical or psychological QoL was reported at 3 years follow‐up from the end of the intervention. |
| Popeska et al. (2018), Macedonia | Quasi experimental | The aim was to investigate the effects of Brain Break activities on children's interest and motivation for physical activity and the impact of these activities on children's learning about health and development. | Enrolled at baseline and analyzed: N = 283. Grade 3, 4, and 5 students. INT: n = 152; Meanage = 9.24 years. CON: n = 131; Meanage = 9.18 years. | Brain Breaks Physical Activity Solutions videos. | Each Brain Break video consists of different videos integrating basic movements, sport elements, games and dance. Videos also include healthy living information and nutrition, environmental, academic and cultural content. | 3‐5 minute breaks were performed by children each school day (5 times per week) for the duration of 3 months. | The APAS. Specifically, the “self‐efficacy in learning with video exercises,” and “self‐confidence on physical fitness” scales. | There was no significant interaction effect for self‐efficacy in learning with video exercises or self‐confidence on physical fitness. |
| Uzunoz et al. (2017), Turkey | Quasi‐experimental | To investigate the effects of Brain Break activities on children's interest in physical activity, physical fitness, self‐efficacy, knowledge of the importance and benefits of physical activity and the role of physical activity in learning about health. |
Enrolled at baseline and analyzed: N = 300. Grade 3‐5 students (Meanage = 9.55 years). INT: n = 193; CON: n = 107. | Brain Breaks Physical Activity Solutions videos. | Web‐based physical activity breaks that are structured to enhance children's health and learning. Children can develop new motor skills and learn about health, music, art, environmental protection, curricular topics, language and cultures, for example. | 3‐5 minute activity breaks at various intervals during each school day for 4 months. | Turkish version of the APAS. Specifically, the “self‐efficacy in learning with video exercises,” and “self‐confidence on physical fitness” scales. |
The intervention group made a significantly larger gain from pretest to posttest on the “self‐efficacy in learning with video exercises” scale than the control group (partial η2 = 0.306, p < .01). The intervention group made a significantly larger gain from pretest to posttest on the “self‐confidence on physical fitness” scale than the control group (partial η2 = 0.113, p < .01). |
| Witt et al. (2005), Germany | A controlled intervention pilot study | To assess the effects of qigong lessons on children's social behavior, general health and school achievement. | Enrolled at baseline and analyzed: N = 40. Elementary school students | Children participated in qigong lessons. | Consists of upper and lower body simple physical exercises, basic movements, mental exercises, and breathing techniques. | Qigong exercises were conducted for 15‐20 minutes, at least twice per week for the duration of 6 months. |
QoL using the KINDL Questionnaire. The wellbeing subscale of a standardized parent‐report questionnaire. |
A significant difference was found on the psychological well‐being subscale of the KINDL QoL questionnaire for elementary students, with an increase in the control group. No significant difference was found for the overall QoL KINDL questionnaire. No significant difference was found for parent‐reported child wellbeing. |
APAS, Attitudes toward Physical Activity Scale; CON, control group; F, female; INT, intervention group; KINDL, Child Quality of Life Questionnaire; M, male; WHO, World Health Organization.
We included participants and data from the 8 months follow up only as children would have been in grade 7 (high school) and received a different intervention at 20 months.
High school students were also included but not reported in the current review.
Overview of Studies Evaluating Enjoyment of PA
| Study, Country | Design | Aim | Participants | Intervention | Characteristics of PA Intervention | Length and Duration | Measure of Enjoyment | Primary Outcome(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergh et al. (2012), Norway | Cluster randomized controlled trial | To assess the impact of the Health in Adolescents (HEIA) intervention on psychological and environmental determinants of physical activity and sedentary behavior. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 1580. Analyzed: N = 1384. Grade 6 students. INT: n = 499 | Intervention consisted of one 90‐minute classroom lesson that was theoretically driven, short physical activity breaks, campaigns promoting active commuting, play equipment to encourage physical activity at recess, fact sheets for parents and a course for physical education teachers. | Short physical activity breaks administered once a week during lessons. | A modified version of the “enjoyment of physical activity” scale from previous studies. | There was a small significant effect of the intervention on children's enjoyment at 8 months follow up (p = .03), reflecting a small increase in the intervention group and a slight reduction in the control group. | |
| Carson et al. (2013), Australia | Cluster randomized controlled trial | To assess mediating effects on children's sedentary time in the Transform‐Us! study. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 599. Analyzed: N = 293. Children aged 7‐10 years. | The Transform‐Us! intervention, consisting of 3 arms. The Sedentary Behavior arm aimed to reduce the amount of time children spend being sedentary. The Physical Activity arm aimed to increase children's MVPA participation. The Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity arm provided children with a combination of both arms described previously. These programs involved actions such as the administration of learning messages, standing lessons, newsletters, providing sports equipment, promoting physical activity and light intensity activity breaks. | A light‐movement break every 30 minutes during 2‐hour class instructional periods. | Two‐minute duration, every 30 minutes during 2‐hour teaching periods. | Children's enjoyment of standing in class using a 1 item question with a 5‐point Likert scale. | Children in the Sedentary Behavior group reported higher enjoyment of standing in class at mid‐intervention (5‐9 months) than children in the control group ( |
| Fu et al. (2016), USA | Pre‐post repeated measures study | To investigate the effect of a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) on children's physical activity enjoyment. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 758. Analyzed: N = 738. Grade 3, 4, 5, and 6 students. | This program aimed to improve the quality of physical education lessons, provide physical activity opportunities at recess and lunch times and encourage teachers to integrate physical activity into the classroom. | Classroom physical activity breaks included stretching, jumping, walking, squats, push‐ups, sit‐ups, and/or ball activities in the classroom. | 5‐minute activity breaks administered 2‐3 times throughout the day for 12 weeks. | Children's enjoyment of physical activity was measured using the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES). | There was a significant grade × time effect (p = .001). For the whole sample, enjoyment scores significantly increased from baseline to follow‐up, (mean difference = 0.14, p < .05, |
| Fu and Burns, (2018), USA | Quasi‐experimental design | To investigate health‐related fitness, school day step count, and motivation effects of an active video game classroom curriculum program in sixth‐grade students. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 66. Analyzed: N = 65. Sixth‐grade students (M = 30, F = 36; Meanage = 11.6 y). INT: n = 33 (M = 15, F = 18); Meanage = 12.0 y. CON: n = 32 (M = 16, F = 17); Meanage = 11.6 y. |
Each session in the active video game classroom curriculum involved 15 minutes of “GoNoodle,” 10 minutes of “Adventure to Fitness” and 5 minutes of “Cosmic Kids Yoga” during class time, in the classroom. Sessions were supervised by the classroom teacher and a trained graduate assistant. | The active video games included activities such as dance, aerobics, locomotor skill games and video adventures of different parts of the world. | Three 30‐minute sessions per week for 18 weeks. | The Sport Enjoyment Scale was used to measure children's self‐reported enjoyment. | No significant changes were observed for enjoyment. |
| Fu et al. (2019), USA | Longitudinal repeated measure design | To explore trends of children's sedentary behavior, physical activity and motivation during a 12‐week active video game program in the classroom. | Enrolled at baseline and analyzed: N = 16. Elementary school students; Meanage = 7.1 y (M = 10, F = 6) | Three 10‐minute active video game sessions per school day for 12 weeks. Each session was led by the classroom teacher and involved 5 mins of “GoNoodle,” 2‐3 mins of “Adventure to Fitness” and 2‐3 mins of “Cosmic Kids Yoga.” | Each of the active video games were comparable in intensity, difficulty and category. The games involved a range of activities including dance, aerobic workouts, race competitions, locomotor skills games and active video clips of several situations. | Three 10‐minute sessions per school day for 12 weeks. | The Sport Enjoyment Scale was used to measure children's enjoyment. | Enjoyment significantly increased across the 12‐week program (b = 0.24, 95% CI [0.00‐0.48], p = .047). Specifically, enjoyment increased from 3.6 to 3.9 (p = .232, |
| Glapa et al. (2018), Poland | Pre‐post study | To explore the impact of Brain Breaks Physical Activity Solutions on children's attitudes toward physical activity. |
Enrolled at baseline: N = 400. Analyzed: N = 326. Grade 3 to 5 children (M = 170, F = 156) aged 9‐11 years. INT: n = 264; Meanage = 9.6 y. CON: n = 62; Meanage = 10.1 years. | Brain Breaks Physical Activity Solutions. The breaks aim to motivate children to enhance their physical activity. | Children have the opportunity to learn new motor skills, coordination, and dance. | 3‐5 minute breaks performed by children 2 times per day over the duration of 4 months. | The APAS questionnaire. Specifically, the “exercise motivation and enjoyment” scale. | No significant difference in the exercise motivation and enjoyment scale was found. |
| Popeska et al. (2018), Macedonia | Quasi experimental | The aim was to investigate the effects of Brain Break activities on children's interest and motivation for physical activity and the impact of these activities on children's learning about health and development. |
Enrolled at baseline and analyzed: N = 283. Grade 3, 4, and 5 students. INT: n = 152; Meanage = 9.24 years. CON: n = 131; Meanage = 9.18 years. | Brain Breaks Physical Activity Solutions videos. | Each Brain Break video consists of different videos integrating basic movements, sport elements, games and dance. Videos also include healthy living information and nutrition, environmental, academic and cultural content. | 3‐5 minute breaks were performed by children each school day (5 times per week) for the duration of 3 months. | The APAS. Specifically, the “exercise motivation and enjoyment” factor. | There was no significant interaction effect for exercise motivation and enjoyment. |
| Uzunoz et al. (2017), Turkey | Quasi‐experimental | To investigate the effects of Brain Break activities on children's interest in physical activity, physical fitness, self‐efficacy, knowledge of the importance and benefits of physical activity and the role of physical activity in learning about health. |
Enrolled at baseline and analyzed: N = 300. Grade 3‐5 students (Meanage = 9.55 years). INT: n = 193. CON: n = 107. | Brain Breaks Physical Activity Solutions videos. | Web‐based physical activity breaks that are structured to enhance children's health and learning. Children can develop new motor skills and learn about health, music, art, environmental protection, curricular topics, language and cultures for example. | 3‐5 minute activity breaks at various intervals during each school day for 4 months. | Turkish version of the APAS. Specifically, the “exercise motivation and enjoyment” factor. | The intervention group made a significantly larger gain from pre‐test to post‐test on the “exercise motivation and enjoyment” scale than the control group (partial η2 = 0.139, p < .01). |
APAS, Attitudes toward Physical Activity Scale; CON, control group; F, female; INT, intervention group; M, male; MVPA, moderate‐vigorous physical activity.
We included participants and data from the 8 months follow‐up only as children would have been in grade 7 (high school) and received a different intervention at 20 months.
Quality Assessment
| Article | Question/Objective Sufficiently Described? | Study Design Evident and Appropriate? | Method of Subject/Comparison Group Selection or Source of Information/Input Variables Described and Appropriate? | Subject (and Comparison Group, if Applicable) Characteristics Sufficiently Described? | If Interventional and Random Allocation was Possible, was it Described? | If Interventional and Blinding of Investigators was Possible, was it Reported? | If Interventional and Blinding of Subjects was Possible, was it Reported? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergh et al. (2012) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | n/a | 0 |
| Caballero et al. (2003) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Carson et al. (2013) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ehud et al. (2010) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Fu et al. (2016) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Fu and Burns (2018) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Fu et al. (2019) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Glapa et al. (2018) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | n/a | 0 |
| Hartman et al. (2010) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Koch et al. (2019) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | n/a |
| Kriemler et al. (2010) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Meyer et al. (2014) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Popeska et al. (2018) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| Uzunoz et al. (2017) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Witt et al. (2005) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | n/a | 0 | 0 |
Studies were scored based on the extent to which they met each criteria (2 = yes fully addressed, 1 = partly addressed, 0 = not addressed). Criteria not applicable to a particular study were classified as “N/A.” A total score was calculated for each study by summing the scores for all applicable criteria and dividing by the total score possible for all applicable criteria. A full outline of the description of criteria and scoring guidelines can be found in Kmet et al.