Relationship between factors promoting physical activities in recess times and physical fitness and motor ability in elementary school

Abstract

Background: As physical activity scene in elementary school, promotion of physical activity focusing on recess time is paid attention, but there is no survey or report that can be basic data. It is thought that the improvement of recess time contributes to the improvement of physical fitness.

Purpose: To clarify statistically the information about the recess times in which children’s physical activities can be conducted in elementary schools sampled from all over Japan, and to examine the relationship between physical activity promoting factors and physical fitness during elementary school recess times.

Method: In elementary schools sampled from the whole country, we compared physical fitness by difference of physical activity promotion factors of recess times of 1,322 schools that answered the questionnaire survey on environmental factors during elementary school recess times.

Result: (1) The elementary school students who can do physical activities were 45.1 ± 12.6 minutes during elementary school recess times. (2) The longer the recess times, the physical fitness tended to be higher in both boy and girl. (3) In schools where children play and devise ways to increase playgrounds, boys’ physical fitness were high. (4) Physical fitness score was high in schools where many types of equipment were lent for the purpose of using recess time. (5) In the school where facilities and equipment that attracts interest and interest were placed in the school yard systematically, boys’ physical fitness were high.

Conclusion: The physical activity promoting factor during elementary school recess times is related to the physical fitness of the children.