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Activity Bursts in the Classroom (ABC) Fitness Program

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Activity Bursts in the Classroom (ABC) Fitness Program is a classroom-based physical activity program for elementary school children. The program combines brief bursts of classroom-based activity with parental education and community involvement. Bursts of classroom activity aim to replace time spent by teachers calming down classrooms and improving concentration among students.

Bursts of activity are conducted during downtime in the classroom, with a goal of 30 minutes of activity per day. Each activity burst has three components: warm up, core activity, and cool down. Warm up includes stretching or light aerobic activity, the core activity includes strength or aerobic activity, and the cool down consists of stretching or low-intensity activity. Teachers are given freedom to choose the activities appropriate for their classroom.

Goal / Mission

The project aims to promote a healthy lifestyle and reverse the trend of obesity among students and their families.

Impact

The ABC Fitness Program demonstrates the feasibility of bursts of structured physical activity for elementary school students with the beneficial effects on fitness and other health measures.

Results / Accomplishments

Students in grades 2-4 in schools that received the intervention (n=655) were compared to students in grades 2-4 in schools who did not receive the intervention (n=559).

Students participating in the ABC Fitness Program showed a greater improvement in physical fitness than did the control group on measures of abdominal strength (P<0.001), upper-body strength (P<0.001), and trunk extensor (P<0.001). The intervention group had a greater reduction in asthma medication use (P=0.03), ADHD medication use (P=0.07), and asthma medication use and ADHD medication use combined (P=0.005), at follow-up, compared with the control group.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Yale University's Prevention Research Center and Independence School District (Independence, MO)
Primary Contact
David L. Katz, MD
Prevention Research Center
130 Division St.
Derby, CT 06418
203-732-7194
david.katz@yale.edu
http://www.davidkatzmd.com/
Topics
Health / Physical Activity
Health / Children's Health
Health / Respiratory Diseases
Organization(s)
Yale University's Prevention Research Center and Independence School District (Independence, MO)
Source
Preventing Chronic Disease (CDC)
Date of publication
Jul 2010
Date of implementation
Sep 2007
Location
Independence, MO
For more details
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2010/jul/09_0176.htm
Target Audience
Children
Additional Audience
Elementary school students

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Related Content for: Activity Bursts in the Classroom (ABC) Fitness Program

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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