Feasibility of Play-Based Dance to Promote Physical Activity in Second Grade Students. Issue 5 (3rd September 2021) - Brackney, Dana
ABSTRACT: Background: Physical activity (PA) is associated with positive health outcomes. However, children's access to physical activities they enjoy may be limited. Purpose: To evaluate second-grader's PA against the U.S. DHHS goals to see if a before-school, play-based dance program contributed to these goals. Operational feasibility was evaluated using activity trackers to measure minutes and intensity of PA. Methods: A SWOT analysis contributed to intervention implementation. Twenty-seven second-graders enrolled in the Intervention or Comparison group and wore activity trackers three days/week for eight weeks. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine differences between the PA intensity of the two groups each week. Results: All children achieved the U.S. DHHS activity goals. The Intervention group (n = 11) averaged 18 more minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA than the Comparison group (n = 10) . More girls than boys chose to attend the morning dance, which was implemented for 31 of 50 school days. Discussion: Our findings support dance as a feasible PA that contributed to activity goals when designed with health and fitness in mind. Translation to Health Education Practice: Certified Health Education Specialists can use a SWOT analysis and activity trackers to assess opportunities to add PA with guided dance.