ReviewA systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions designed to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in school physical education lessons
Highlights
► We reviewed interventions targeting physical activity in school physical education. ► 14 studies were included in the review, 13 in the meta-analysis. ► Intervention condition students spent 24% more lesson time active than controls. ► Interventions can increase physical activity in school physical education lessons.
Section snippets
Objectives
Our aim was to systematically review the evidence related to interventions designed to increase active learning time during school PE lessons. Our objectives were to: (a) describe the nature of the interventions that have been undertaken (i.e., the theories, strategies, or approaches researchers have used to design their interventions); and (b) conduct meta-analyses to determine the effectiveness of these interventions.
Eligibility criteria
Included studies sampled students from PE classes in primary schools (i.e., elementary) or secondary schools (i.e., high school). Pre-school or post-secondary institution samples were excluded.
Studies must have tested an intervention, namely a deliberate attempt to implement a change to usual teaching practice in order to increase the proportion of PE lesson time spent in MVPA. Studies focusing on a comparison of conditions, but not an intervention, were excluded. For example, a study comparing
Study selection
Study selection results are detailed in Fig. 1. From an initial pool of 12,124 non-duplicate records, screening of titles and abstracts lead to 109 full-text articles read. From these, 14 articles met the inclusion criteria.
Study characteristics
Study characteristics can be viewed in Table 1. Publication dates ranged from 1991 to 2008. Ten studies were conducted in the USA, two in the UK, one in Belgium and one in Australia. The number of schools involved in each study ranged from n = 1 (in seven studies) to n = 96 (
Summary of evidence
The aim of our study was to systematically review the evidence related to interventions designed to increase students' MVPA within PE lessons. Overall, interventions were associated with 24% more active learning time compared with usual practice (10% more of total lesson time spent in MVPA). Effective intervention strategies included teacher professional learning focusing on class organization, management and instruction, and supplementing usual PE lessons with high-intensity activity (i.e.,
Funding
This study was funded by the University of Western Sydney Research Grants Scheme (Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine).
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest associated with this study.
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