Physical Activity and Academic Achievement Across the Curriculum (A+PAAC)

Joseph Donnelly584 enrolled

Overview

There is currently considerable interest in both improving academic achievement (No Child Left Behind) and reducing the rates of obesity and its associated negative health consequences in elementary school students. Increased physical activity (PA) offers a potential intervention to address both issues. Evidence is available which suggests an association of PA with both academic achievement and obesity, and an association between obesity and academic achievement. To provide increased PA while maintaining academic instruction time, we developed a program we call "Physical Activity Across the Curriculum" (PAAC) in which regular classroom teachers were trained to deliver academic lessons using moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 20 minutes/d, 5 days/wk. This study is looking to compare academic achievement between students in elementary schools that participate in academic lessons taught through MVPA (PAAC) to students that do not (CON).

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

584

Conditions

Intelligence Obesity

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 7 YearsMax age: 10 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Grade 2 or 3 Student at one of the randomly selected elementary schools * Students that agree to complete assessments * Signed parental consent form * Signed child assent form Exclusion Criteria: * Students that do not agree to complete assessments

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Changes in Academic Achievement in Elementary Students

Changes in academic achievement between students in elementary schools that participate in a program that delivers academic lessons taught through MVPA (A+PAAC) to students in elementary schools that do not receive academic lessons taught through MVPA (CON)