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. 2020 Jul 2;17(13):4773.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17134773.

Levels of Physical Activity during School Hours in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Alberto Grao-Cruces  1   2 , María Jesús Velásquez-Romero  1 , Fernando Rodriguez-Rodríguez  3
Affiliations

Levels of Physical Activity during School Hours in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Alberto Grao-Cruces et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: This systematic review determines the levels of physical activity (PA) during school hours in children and adolescents.

Methods: Studies carried out from January 1987 to December 2019 were retrieved from four databases (Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus and SportDiscus). The 29 selected studies were cross-sectional, long-term and case studies.

Results: Most of them used accelerometers and showed that male and female children accumulated a mean of between 14 and 68 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during school hours (3%-22% of this daily segment), and male and female adolescents accumulated a mean of between 13 and 28 min of MVPA during this daily segment (3%-8% of the school hours). Less than a quarter of children and adolescents reached the recommended 30 min of MVPA during school hours, with notable differences between sexes.

Conclusions: These results suggest that the levels of PA during school hours are not enough, and consequently, schools should develop strategies for helping children and adolescents reach the school PA recommendation.

Keywords: primary education; recommendations; school schedule; secondary education; students.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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