[Physical activity in school for 11 - 12 year-olds].
BACKGROUND
"Outdoor school" is a method, which moves the teaching out into the open. There has been little research into the relationship between outdoor school, physical activity and improved fitness.


METHODS
We have compared the level of activity (measured as heart rate) in a class of sixth-grade pupils during an ordinary school day and a day outdoors. The pupils' heart rates were measured during the entire school day.


RESULTS
The average heart rate for the pupils was 104 beats/minute during an ordinary school day and 136 beats/minute during a day outdoors. The average percentage of time with a heart rate >or= 160 beats/minute was 5 % for an ordinary school day and 18 % for a day outdoors (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Outdoor school can result in a significant increase in physical activity compared to the level on ordinary school days. Thus, the organisation of outdoor school days may have a positive effect on pupils' aerobic capacity, which is an important factor in physical fitness.
Grønningsaeter
Ivar
I
igro@hib.no
Hallås
Oddrun
O
Kristiansen
Torbjørn
T
Naevdal
Folkvard
F
D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D012574:Schools