title: Increasing children's physical activity during school recess periods.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined whether schools' participation in the Recess Enhancement Program (REP) in the spring of 2011 was associated with higher rates of children's vigorous physical activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  In REP, a coach guides children through age-appropriate games aimed at increasing their physical activity. During recess at 25 New York City public elementary schools (15 REP, 10 non-REP), researchers visually scanned predetermined areas (n = 1339 scans), recording the number of sedentary, walking, and very active children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariate statistical analysis found that participation in REP was a significant predictor (P = .027) of the rate of vigorous physical activity (percentage very active in scan area) whose least-squares means were 41% in REP schools and 27% in non-REP schools. A significantly higher rate in REP schools persisted when the coach was not in the scan area, suggesting a change in the recess culture of REP schools.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of vigorous physical activity in REP schools was 14 percentage points, or 52%, higher than the rate in non-REP schools. This low-cost intervention might be a valuable addition to the tools for combating childhood obesity and worth replicating elsewhere.
authors.affiliation: John J. Chin is with the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY. David Ludwig is with Asphalt Green, New York, NY.
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ludwig