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Contextual factors related to implementation of classroom physical activity breaks

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Translational Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Brief structured physical activity in the classroom is effective for increasing student physical activity. The present study investigated the association between implementation-related contextual factors and intervention implementation after adoption of a structured classroom physical activity intervention. Six elementary-school districts adopted structured classroom physical activity programs in 2013–2014. Implementation contextual factors and intervention implementation (structured physical activity provided in past week or month, yes/no) were assessed using surveys of 337 classroom teachers from 24 schools. Mixed-effects models accounted for the nested design. Availability of resources (yes/no, ORs = 1.91–2.93) and implementation climate z-scores (ORs = 1.36–1.47) were consistently associated with implementation. Teacher-perceived classroom behavior benefits (OR = 1.29) but not student enjoyment or health benefits, and time (OR = 2.32) and academic (OR = 1.63) barriers but not student cooperation barriers were associated with implementation (all z-scores). Four implementation contextual factor composites had an additive association with implementation (OR = 1.64 for each additional favorable composite). Training and technical assistance alone may not support a large proportion of teachers to implement structured classroom physical activity. In addition to lack of time and interference with academic lessons, school climate related to whether administrators and other teachers were supportive of the intervention were key factors explaining whether teachers implemented the intervention. Evidence-based implementation strategies are needed for effectively communicating the benefits of classroom physical activity on student behavior and improving teacher and administrator climate/attitudes around classroom physical activity.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Children’s Healthy Lifestyles and Nutrition, Children’s Mercy Hospital, 610 E. 22nd Street, Kansas City, MO, 64108, USA

    Jordan A. Carlson PhD

  2. Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92103, USA

    Jessa K. Engelberg BA, Kelli L. Cain MA, Terry L. Conway PhD, Carrie Geremia BA, Edith Bonilla BA & James F. Sallis PhD

  3. Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, Toronto, ON, M5J 2P1, Canada

    Jon Kerner PhD

Authors
  1. Jordan A. Carlson PhD
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  2. Jessa K. Engelberg BA
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  3. Kelli L. Cain MA
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  4. Terry L. Conway PhD
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  5. Carrie Geremia BA
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  6. Edith Bonilla BA
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  7. Jon Kerner PhD
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  8. James F. Sallis PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jordan A. Carlson PhD.

Ethics declarations

All participants provided informed consent to participate.

The Helsinki Declaration was followed.

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained from the University of California, San Diego, prior to the administration of the study.

Funding

This study was funded by The California Endowment.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Human rights and welfare of animals

No human rights were violated. No animals were included.

Additional information

Implications Practice: Addressing school climate and intervention-specific attitudes around classroom physical activity is likely to improve rollout efforts that typically focus on skill training and technical assistance.

Policy: Policies to improve school-based physical activity through multiple programs are important and probably necessary, but adopted policies are not likely to be effective without being paired with evidence-based implementation strategies.

Research: Multidisciplinary research is needed to develop and evaluate implementation strategies that can be packaged with classroom physical activity interventions to increase effectiveness in real-world (non-controlled) applications.

This manuscript has not been previously published and it not under review by another journal.

Findings have not been reported elsewhere.

Authors have full control of primary data and agree to allow this journal to review data if requested.

Appendix. Teacher survey items

Appendix. Teacher survey items

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Carlson, J.A., Engelberg, J.K., Cain, K.L. et al. Contextual factors related to implementation of classroom physical activity breaks. Behav. Med. Pract. Policy Res. 7, 581–592 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-017-0509-x

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