Pedometers in the School Setting

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Pedometers in the School Setting

Chuck Morgan

Arizona State University

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Why Physical Activity?

• Surgeon General’s Report, Health People 2010– Health Benefits from minimal PA

• Definitions of physical activity and fitness

• Focus on the process (Physical Activity) rather than the product (Fitness)

• History of Physical Activity paradigm

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Blair and Connelly (1996)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Sedentray Low Moderate High

Activity/Fitness Level

Redu

ctio

n in

Cor

onar

y M

orta

lity

Leon et al. (1987)

Morris et al. (1990)

Shaper & Wannamethee(1991)

Ekelund et al. (1988)

Lie, Mundal, & Erikcssen(1993)

Sandvik et al. (1993)

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Focusing on the Product

• Fitness Testing/Skill Assessment– Genetics and trainability– Age

• Have we turned people off from physical activity by focusing on fitness?

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Focusing on the Process:Physical Activity…

• Provides success for all students

• Helps the unskilled and obese children

• Has long and short term health benefits

• Increases likelihood of becoming an active adult

• Reaches beyond P.E. class

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Assessing Physical Activity• How do you measure physical activity?

– Parent ask you “How active is my child?”

• Instruments must be…– Valid– Reliable– Cost-effective– Unobtrusive– Easy to use

• Pedometers

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Basic Uses for Pedometers in Schools

• Promoting physical activity outside of PE

• Teaching students about physical activity

• Enhancing public relations

• Improving instruction

• Providing accountability

• Integrating other subjects

• How many steps are they getting?

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Promoting physical activity outside of PE

• Promote walking, biking, skating, etc. to school 1 mile or less (Health People 2010 objective)

• Provide a safe area to store bicycles, skateboards, roller blades, etc.

• Provide supervised access to facilities before/after school, during recess/lunch

• Provide physical activity equipment that can be checked out before/after school, during recess/lunch

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Promoting physical activity outside of PE

• Organize intramurals before/after school, during recess/lunch that are gender equitable

• Promote physical activity outside of school with various organizations (youth sports, scouts, clubs, etc.)

• Organize a “pedometer walking club” before/after school, during recess/lunch

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Promoting physical activity outside of PE

• Promote family physical activity (PE nights at school)– Games and activities to teach the family

• Pass the pedometer

• Pedometer chore time

• Errands with a pedometer

• Testing different activities

• Family dance night

• More

• Allow students to earn the “Presidential Active Lifetime Award”

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA)

• Alternative to Fitness Awards– How many earn the PPFA?

• Parallels national health objectives• Who can earn it?

– Anyone, regardless of fitness or motor skill ability

• How do you earn it?– 11K girls, 13K (6 weeks of 5 days per week) or– 60 minutes of daily activity (self-report)

• Log activity on-line or on log sheet www.indiana/~preschal

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

PALA• Award includes an emblem, certificate, & stickers • Other awards– I am the proud parent of PALA

winner• Active Lifestyle Model School www.indiana/~

preschal• Cautions

– Low active children –3-5K (goal setting 10%)– 1st-3rd grade– Extrinsic award – but hopefully manifests into Intrinsic

motivation – “Love to be active”– Benefits outweigh the risks

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Teaching Students About Physical Activity

• How active are you?

• Get students thinking about different types of physical activity (pyramid)

• Let all children experience success while being physically active

• Allow youngsters to find out how active they are with immediate feedback

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Determining Baseline Step Counts

• 4-5 days of data for elementary students

• 8 or more for adolescents

• Physical education, during school, or all day

• Students or adults record

• Set goals using this data

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Teaching Goal Setting

• Set goals for a lesson, a day, or a week• Goals should be a percentage of the

baseline data (5-10%)• 10,000 steps ?????• Individual Goals

– Based on percent increase

• Cooperative Goals– Group total or group average

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Enhancing Public Relations

• Parental involvement

• Letters home about pedometers

• Allow students to check pedometers out

• Family activity nights using pedometers

• Invite parents to a physical education lesson

• Let parents wear pedometers during open houses

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Improving Instruction

• How active are your students during a lesson?• What can impact activity level?

– Management time

– Instructional time

– Teacher role-modeling

– Environment

– Lesson type/Activities selected

• Diagnosing students with low activity levels

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Providing Accountability

• How can you demonstrate you are teaching? Are your students learning?– Skill Assessment– Fitness Testing– Assessing Physical Activity Using Pedometers

• During physical education

• During school

• Outside of school

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Integrating Other Subjects

• Math

• History

• Health

• Computers (log activity on-line)

• English/Writing

• Science

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

Issues for Schools

• Funding and Purchasing

• Loss

• Rules and Routines– “You shake it, we take it”– Checking Out– Recording Data

• Introducing pedometers to the school

chuck.morgan@asu.edu

How many steps are they getting?Figure 1. Boys’ percentage of daily step counts (expected average step counts), by context

PE12% (1,600)

School29% (3,800)

Outside school

59% (7,600)

Figure 2. Girls’ percentage of daily step counts (expected average step counts), by context 

PE12% (1,300)

School26% (2,900)

Outside school62% (6,800)