The first Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAPs) position statement from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) was released in 2008. It was the first document of its kind to recommend increased school-based opportunities for physical activity. The Statement recommended that schools focus on quality…

Physical activity declines among children in their tweens and teens. To address physical inactivity as a health risk, national organizations are endorsing the implementation of comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs). The purpose of this article is to describe the history of school-coordinated approaches to addressing health…

The purpose of this study was to identify what lifelong activities stakeholders agree upon as most important to include in physical education programs. Little research has been conducted regarding which lifelong activities are most important to include in the curriculum and if there is consensus in priorities across program stakeholders. Consensus…

Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAPs) have been identified as an intervention toward improving physical activity opportunities for youth throughout the school day. One of the five elements of a CSPAP is afterschool programming. This paper translates the varied research about youth engagement in physical activity into a…

The 2012 Public Act on Education in Hungary made daily physical education (PE) a mandatory part of the school day starting in the 2012-2013 school year. This directive was linked to a significant reorganization of the Hungarian education system including a new National Core Curriculum that regulates the objectives and contents of PE. The Hungarian…

Nowadays, thanks to greater awareness of society and development of restorative medicine, more and more attention is paid to preventive care. That is caused by the fact that there is little progress for both sexes in the frequency of healthy behavior: girls fall much worse than boys in terms of frequency of physical activity, they do not eat…

The Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) provides grants to districts and community-based organizations (CBOs) to initiate, expand, and improve physical education for students in kindergarten through grade 12. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education issued new regulations for PEP that included the following: (1) requiring grantees to…

American youths are becoming increasingly less physically active and have poor nutrition habits. Nationwide, less than one third of students reported achieving the recommended level of physical activity (one hour of exercise per day). In addition, most youths consume less than the recommended daily amounts of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.…

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education supports the offering of strong college and university instructional physical activity programs (C/UIPAPs). With a rapid decline in physical activity levels, high stress levels, and unhealthy weight-loss practices among college-age students, it is apparent that C/UIPAPs embedded in the…

Increasing rates of childhood obesity has prompted calls for comprehensive approaches to school-based physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) development and related contextual issues within a rural Appalachian county using a Systems Approach. A…

This Digest discusses the importance of and ways to foster activity and exercise in children. Following an introduction, the Digest is organized into four sections. The first section deals with the significant health benefits of physical activity, including: reduction in chronic disease risk; lowered risk of colon cancer; increase in bone density;…

The physical educator has an important role to play in developing student fitness. A "blueprint" for success in physical education suggests that instructors: offer a highly active program; provide quality testing; promote fitness education; and provide for individualized record keeping and analysis. (DF)

A report is given of the development of sets of measures with which to determine the physical fitness status and activity patterns of 10- to 17-year-old school children and youths. Three groups of physical education experts worked on the task of identifying and agreeing upon appropriate measures. The first panel determined that the most valid…

Alberta Education has prepared this school handbook to help teachers and administrators select age-appropriate activities that can be done almost anytime and anywhere. The Daily Physical Activity (DPA) school handbook is designed to provide information, ideas and inspiration for developing a successful DPA plan. The handbook is divided into four…

This reference book provides 20 real-life examples of how to implement the "Guidelines for School and Community Programs to Promote Lifelong Physical Activity among Young People," developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The book also summarizes the CDC guidelines. Based on the recommendations from national…