UNTITLED SCHOOL-BASED PHYSICAL TRAINING PROGRAM
OVERVIEW
This program is an exercise intervention designed to impact blood pressure and increase physical fitness in children. The intervention requires children to engage in physical exercise sessions beyond the number normally required by their schools. In an evaluation of the program, 132 children with high and normal blood pressure levels were randomly assigned to either receive the intervention or to a no-treatment control group. Results indicated that, following the intervention, all children receiving the treatment experienced significantly greater improvements in physical fitness and blood pressure relative to control participants.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
Target population: 9 to 11 year-old children.
This program is an eight-month long exercise intervention designed to increase physical fitness and impact blood pressure in children. The program is implemented by having children engage in extra exercise sessions, beyond the number required by their schools' physical education departments. The exercise sessions do not differ in content from the regular physical education classes, and involve warm ups, organized games, gymnastics, and other activities. Children were required to participate in five, 50-minute sessions per week.
EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM
Hansen, H.S., Froberg, K., Hyldebrandt, N., & Nielsen, J.R. (1991). A controlled study of eight months of physical training and reduction of blood pressure in children: The Odense schoolchild study. British Medical Journal, 303, 682-685.
Evaluated population: 132 children living in Odense, Denmark served as the sample for this evaluation. Roughly half of the sample had blood pressure levels that fell in the top 5% for children their age. The other half of the sample had blood pressure levels falling below the top 5% for their age group.
Approach: Upon entrance into the study, children were randomly assigned to receive the intervention or to a no-treatment control group. Children in the no-treatment control group participated in their regular physical education program, which consisted of two, 50-minute exercise sessions per week. Exercise sessions typically included a 10-minute warm-up followed by organized games or other physical activities.
Children in the study were assessed at baseline, three months into the investigation, and at the conclusion of the intervention. Children's blood pressure levels were taken, and physical fitness was assessed using measurements of maximum oxygen uptake during a bicycle riding task.
Results: Results indicated that, at the three-month assessment point, there were no differences between study groups on levels of physical fitness or blood pressure. However, at the end of the intervention, children with both initially high and more normal blood pressure levels showed significant increases in physical fitness relative to control participants. Furthermore, children receiving the intervention experienced significantly greater decreases in blood pressure than children in the control group. No impacts were found on weight, triceps, skinfold thickness, weight-to-height ratio, and heart rate.
Hansen, H.S., Froberg, K., Hyldebrandt, N., & Nielsen, J.R. (1991). A controlled study of eight months of physical training and reduction of blood pressure in children: The Odense schoolchild study. British Medical Journal, 303, 682-685.
Program categorized in this guide according to the following:
Evaluated participant ages: 9 to 11
Evaluated participant grades: N/A
Program age ranges in the guide: Middle Childhood
Program components: School-Based
Measured outcomes: Physical Health
Keywords: Children, Elementary, Co-ed, School-based, Skills Training, Urban, Physical Activity, Weight
Program information last updated on 6/11/09.