Measurement of students' playground activity levels

Abstract

Accurate measurement of students' physical activity levels is important to determine the contribution physical activity within school playgrounds can make towards students meeting recommended daily physical activity guidelines. Assessment of physical activity is also conducted to examine the effectiveness of strategies targeting students' physical activity within school playgrounds and to identify psychosocial and environmental factors that can affect students' physical activity behaviour within school playgrounds. There are a number of measures that can be used effectively within the school playground context to assess the dimensions (frequency, intensity, duration, activity type) of students' physical activity including direct observation, accelerometers, pedometers, global positioning systems (GPS) and self-reporting instruments.