%0 Journal Article
%T Before-school running/walking club: effects on student on-task behavior
%J Preventive medicine reports
%D 2016
%A Stylianou, Michalis
%A Kulinna, Pamela Hodges
%A van der Mars, Hans
%A Mahar, Matthew T.
%A Adams, Marc A.
%A Amazeen, Eric
%V 3
%N 
%P 196-202
%X Before-school programs provide a good opportunity for children to engage in physical activity (PA) as well as improve their readiness to learn. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a before-school running/walking club on elementary school children's on-task behavior. The study employed a two-phase experimental design with an initial baseline phase followed by an alternating treatments phase, and was first conducted at a private school (School A) and subsequently replicated at a public school (School B). Participants were third and fourth grade children from two schools in the Southwestern U.S. who participated in a before-school running/walking club that met two times each week (School A: 20 min; School B: 15 min) during the 2013/2014 academic year. Participation in the program was monitored using pedometers and on-task behavior was assessed through direct observation. Data analyses included visual analysis, Tau-U index, and multilevel modeling. <br><br>RESULTS from all analyses indicated that on-task behavior was significantly higher on days the children attended the before-school program than on days they did not. According to multilevel modeling results, mean differences and effect sizes were: School A = 15.78%, pseudo-R (2) = .34 [strong effect]; School B = 14.26%, pseudo-R (2) = .22 [moderate effect]. <br><br>RESULTS provide evidence for the positive impact of before-school PA programs on children's classroom behavior and readiness to learn. Such programs do not take time away from academics and may be an attractive option for schools. <br><br>RESULTS also have implications for the structure of children's school day and the scheduling of PA opportunities.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Elsevier Publishing
%@ 2211-3355
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.01.010