Research Trends in Promoting Physical Activity among Children

―From the Viewpoint of Ecological Model―

Abstract

This article was discussed the application of ecological model through reviewing the researches concerning promoting children's physical activity with environmental and policy intervention. According to the review of Pate et al. (2011), children's physical activity policy is categorized following six area, “physical education in school”, “physical activity-related health education”, “community environmental support”, “school environmental support”, “active transport/urban design”, and “mass media/advertising campaign”. Though precedence research indicated the limitations of policies that focus on “physical activity-related health education” and “community environmental support”, in this article, it refers to the possible strategies for increasing children's physical activity in those two areas. It is expected to increase the application of ecological model for promoting physical activity, it is needed to collaborate with each relevant sectors (i.e. departments of public health, education, recreation, and transportation).