Playworks at the playground
 

Research has shown that children who engage in at least moderate physical activity during recess demonstrate both health and academic benefits. Studies also note that boys engage in higher physical activities during recess than girls.A study by Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) examined the effects of introducing Playworks, a structured-play program, on girls' activity levels at recess. The Playworks program uses a coach to introduce games and equipment and organize activities during recess, encouraging girls to be less sedentary.
 

Twenty-nine schools in six cities were randomly assigned to receive Playworks (n=17) or no intervention (n=12) during the 2010-11 (cohort 1) or 2011-2012 (cohort 2) school years. Schools were randomly assigned within blocks matched by size, grade levels, ethnicity, and free-lunch count. A total of 1,573 fourth and fifth grade students participated, 823 girls and 750 boys. After one year of each treatment group's exposure to Playworks, all experimental and control students wore accelerometers, which measure physical activity levels, for 10 minutes each recess period during a one-week period in each school.
 

Results yielded significant increases for the Playworks groups in girls' activity levels as compared to the control group, but no significant increases for boys. The authors discuss that modifying the program to increase boys' activity would be beneficial.
 

 An earlier randomized study of Playworks by MPR showed positive effects of the program in reducing bullying, increasing social climate and feelings of school safety, and students' readiness to learn.

Johns Hopkins University 

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