Skip to main content
PMC home page
Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2015 Jul 1;106(5):e290–e296. doi: 10.17269/cjph.106.4899

School factors associated with the provision of physical education and levels of physical activity among elementary school students in Ontario

Daniel I Naiman 17, Scott T Leatherdale 27, Carolyn Gotay 37, Louise C Mâsse 37,✉
PMCID: PMC6972076  PMID: 26451990

Abstract

Objectives

To explore school and student characteristics associated with the number of physical education (PE) classes that elementary students received and to determine whether these characteristics and amount of PE were associated with the physical activity (PA) levels of elementary students.

Methods

Multi-level modeling with school-level (n = 30) and student-level (n = 2,447) questionnaire data from the PLAY-ON study was used to explore the school factors associated with the number of PE classes that students in grades 5 to 8 report receiving, and how these factors were associated with their PA. The Theories of Organizational Change served to operationalize the main school factors measured in this study and included assessments of: organizational climate (school practices related to PE or PA), organizational capacity (school ability to provide students with more PE or PA), and school PA/PE policies.

Results

The number of PE classes reported per week was higher in schools that had two PA facilities in addition to a gymnasium (β = 1.13, p = 0.048) and in schools with greater levels of parental involvement in school-based PA decisions and programs (β = 2.06, p = 0.001). However, students in schools that provided more intramural programs reported fewer PE classes than those without (β = −1.97, p < 0.001). The number of PE classes provided in the previous week was associated with greater odds of students being highly active compared to minimally active (OR = 1.14, p = 0.003).

Conclusion

Organizational and structural factors within the school environment are related to the amount of PE that students receive at school. Strategies are required to resolve the resulting inequities.

Key Words: School policy, physical activity, school environment, children

Footnotes

Funding sources: Louise C. Mâsse was funded through salary support provided by the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI) located at the Children’s & Women’s Health Centre of British Columbia. Daniel Naiman received a stipend for his MSc through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship award.

Conflict of Interest: None to declare

References

  • 1.Bryan SN, Katzmarzyk PT. The association between meeting physical activity guidelines and chronic diseases among Canadian adults. J Phys Act Health. 2011;8(1):10–17. doi: 10.1123/jpah.8.1.10. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Colley RC, Garriguet D, Janssen I, Craig CL, Clarke J, Tremblay MS. Physical activity of Canadian children and youth: Accelerometer results from the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Health Rep. 2011;22(1):15–23. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Institute of Medicine IOM. Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Pres; 2012. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Brownson RC, Chriqui JF, Burgeson CR, Fisher MC, Ness RB. Translating epidemiology into policy to prevent childhood obesity: The case for promoting physical activity in school settings. Ann Epidemiol. 2010;20(6):436–44. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.03.001. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Hannon JC. Physical activity levels of overweight and nonoverweight high school students during physical education classes. J Sch Health. 2008;78(8):425–31. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00325.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Kim J. Are physical education-related state policies and schools’ physical education requirement related to children’s physical activity and obesity? J Sch Health. 2012;82(6):268–76. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2012.00697.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV, Sanchez BN, Rosas LG, Baek J, Egerter S. Physical education policy compliance and children’s physical fitness. Am J Prev Med. 2012;42(5):452–59. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.01.008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Durant N, Harris SK, Doyle S, Person S, Saelens BE, Kerr J, et al. Relation of school environment and policy to adolescent physical activity. J Sch Health. 2009;79(4):153–59. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00384.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Pate RR, Ward DS, O’Neill JR, Dowda M. Enrollment in physical education is associated with overall physical activity in adolescent girls. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2007;78(4):265–70. doi: 10.1080/02701367.2007.10599424. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Hobin EP, Leatherdale ST, Manske SR. Robertson-Wilson J. A multilevel examination of school and student characteristics associated with moderate and high levels of physical activity among elementary school students (Ontario, Canada) Can J Public Health. 2010;101(6):495–99. doi: 10.1007/BF03403971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Martin K, Bremner A, Salmon J, Rosenberg M, Giles-Corti B. Physical, policy, and sociocultural characteristics of the primary school environment are positively associated with children’s physical activity during class time. J Phys Act Health. 2014;11(3):553–63. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2011-0443. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Skala KA, Springer AE, Sharma SV, Hoelscher DM, Kelder SH. Environmental characteristics and student physical activity in PE.class: Findings from two large urban areas of Texas. J Phys Act Health. 2012;9(4):481–91. doi: 10.1123/jpah.9.4.481. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Turner L, Johnson TG, Slater SJ, Chaloupka FJ. Physical activity practices in elementary schools and associations with physical education staffing and training. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2014;85(4):488–501. doi: 10.1080/02701367.2014.961053. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Dale D, Corbin CB, Dale KS. Restricting opportunities to be active during school time: Do children compensate by increasing physical activity levels after school? Res Q Exerc Sport. 2000;71(3):240–48. doi: 10.1080/02701367.2000.10608904. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Canadian FitnessLifestyle Research Institute. 2005 Physical Activity Monitor, Bulletin 03: Physical Activity Programming in the School Environment. 2005. [Google Scholar]
  • 16.Canadian FitnessLifestyle Research Institute. Encouraging Active Schools: 2011 Opportunities for Physical Activity at School Survey. 2012. [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Watts AW, Saewyc E, Naylor PJ, Mâsse LC. Impact of nutrition and physical activity policies on the school environment: Case study in British Columbia. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2014;14(11):50. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-11-50. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Mâsse LC, Naiman D, Naylor PJ. A qualitative look at factors that affect implementation of a school-based nutrition policy; 2011. [Google Scholar]
  • 19.School HealthAction Planning Evaluation System. Physical Activity at PL.Y-ON Schools. Waterloo, ON: University of Waterloo; 2008. [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Hobin EP, Leatherdale ST, Manske S, Dubin JA, Elliott S, Veugelers P. A multilevel examination of gender differences in the association between features of the school environment and physical activity among a sample of grades 9 to 12 students in Ontario, Canada. BMC Public Health. 2012;12:74. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-74. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Pate RR. Assessing the level of physical activity in children. In: Bouchard C, Katzmarzyk PT, editors. Physical Activity and Obesity. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2010. pp. 22–25. [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Wong SL, Leatherdale ST, Manske SR. Reliability and validity of a school-based physical activity questionnaire. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006;38(9):1593–600. doi: 10.1249/01.mss.0000227539.58916.35. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23.School HealthAction Planning Evaluation System. Results from Provincial Implementation of the 2007–2008 School Health Environment Survey. Waterloo, ON: Propel Centre for Population and Health Impact; 2008. [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Steckler A, Goodman RM, Kegler MC. Health Behavior and Health Education. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 2002. Mobilizing organizations for health enhancement: Theories of organizational change; pp. 335–60. [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Donders AR, van der Heijden GJ, Stijnen T, Moons KG. Review: A gentle introduction to imputation of missing values. J Clin Epidemiol. 2006;59(10):1087–91. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2006.01.014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Fernandes M, Sturm R. Facility provision in elementary schools: Correlates with physical education, recess, and obesity. Prev Med. 2010;50(Suppl1):S30–35. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.09.022. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Perkins DF, Jacobs JE, Barber BL, Eccles JS. Childhood and adolescent sports participation as predictors of participation in sports and physical fitness activities during young adulthood. Youth Soc. 2004;35:495–520. doi: 10.1177/0044118X03261619. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 28.Centers for Disease ControlPrevention. Promoting Better Health fo Young People Through Physical Activity and Sports. 2000. [Google Scholar]
  • 29.Murray DM, Stevens J, Hannan PJ, Catellier DJ, Schmitz KH, Dowda M, et al. School-level intraclass correlation for physical activity in sixth grade girl. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006;38(5):926–36. doi: 10.1249/01.mss.0000218188.57274.91. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES