title: School opportunities and physical activity frequency in nine year old children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between physical activity (PA) opportunities at school and participation in PA outside of school physical education (PE) classes among 9 year old children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained in a representative sample of 1 267 students nested within 69 schools who completed questionnaires; principals provided data on schools. Students' PA frequency was defined as all reported episodes of past week PA, excluding PE class. Schools were categorized as "high-opportunity" if they provided > or = 4 of the following opportunities: PE class > or = 2 times/week, extracurricular sports animator, gymnasium, swimming pool, schoolyard equipped for games, and > or = 1 outdoor sports playing fields. Multilevel modelling techniques were used to investigate the association between school-level PA opportunity and student-level PA frequency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No main effect of school-level PA opportunities on PA frequency was observed. However, overweight boys attending high-opportunity schools were significantly more active than those attending low-opportunity schools.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association between PA frequency and school-level PA opportunity differs by sex and weight status. Overweight boys in particular may benefit from health promotion strategies providing greater opportunities for school PA.
authors.affiliation: Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, Université de Montréal, 3175 Côte Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1C5, Canada. ta.barnett@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Tracie A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: O'Loughlin
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gauvin
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paradis
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanley
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lambert
mesh_terms: D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011792:Quebec; D012572:School Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013177:Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019876:Sports Equipment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires