Program Areas

Childhood Obesity

Physical Activity at School

RWJF Priority: Increase the time, intensity and duration of physical activity during the school day and out-of-school programs

Schools play a critical role in helping children lead active, healthy lives. By requiring active participation in daily physical education classes, providing activity breaks throughout the day, and supporting walking and bicycling to school, schools can increase students’ physical activity. After-school programs located in schools, parks and recreational centers also can develop innovative ways to help children be active.

The resources below, from RWJF grantees and partners, highlight recent efforts to examine and develop programs and policies that help children be active before, during and after the school day.

Childhood Obesity Policy Priorities

From the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids

Creating a Healthy Place for Kids in Trenton, NJ

Creating a Healthy Place for Kids in Trenton, NJ

"A long time coming." The New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids helped make Monument Elementary School in Trenton a healthier place for students by leading efforts to build a new playground and install a salad bar in the cafeteria.

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More Research and Resources on Physical Activity at School

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Active Education

November 8, 2007 | Issue Brief

Physical education, physical activity and academic performance.

District and School Physical Education Policies

February 1, 2013 | Journal Article

The association between PE polices at the district and school level, as well as the overall PE environment, and PE and recess time is addressed in this study.

Padres Unidos Advocates for Recess Before Lunch

April 11, 2012 | Program Result

The Healthy Students, Healthy Minds project of Padres Unidos is working with Denver school board officials to implement a recess-before-lunch policy in all public schools, a schedule that gets kids to eat better and reduces discipline problems.

Physical Education and Student Activity

February 1, 2013 | Journal Article

A new policy was set in place in 2009, adopted by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) after audits revealed that the district was not enforcing physical education (PE) minute requirements.

Physical Environmental Correlates of Childhood Obesity

March 6, 2009 | Journal Article

This article provides a systematic review of the literature on the relationship between environmental and community factors and childhood obesity. While these factors are thought to contribute to childhood obesity, the nature of the relationship is not well understood.

The Boston Schoolyard Initiative: A Study of Its Schoolyard Renovations

October 3, 2008 | Program Result

Researchers in the Boston University Department of Environmental Health conducted a case study of the Boston Schoolyard Initiative, a project that provides funds and technical support to community groups dedicated to renovating schoolyards in Boston.