Schools can offer students many opportunities for daily physical activity, but they need effective policies and strong partnerships to make it happen. Policies that support improved standards for physical education classes, allow time for recess and promote Safe Routes to School programs can help ensure that
kids are more active.

The following resources describe the physical activity environment in schools across the country and provide strategies for working with elected officials, state and local agencies, advocacy groups and other important stakeholders to promote physical activity in school.

Research Briefs & Highlights
Guides
Reports
Tools & Toolkits

Research Briefs & Highlights:
 

RWJF Center Report: Federal Agencies/Programs and Physical Activity Initiatives and Opportunities

This paper is a summary assessment of various federal agencies/programs and suggested recommendations to increase awareness and opportunities for physical activity for children within these programs.

http://www.reversechildhoodobesity.org/webfm_send/44

Active Education: Physical Education, Physical Activity and Academic Performance
This brief summarizes the current body of research on the relationship between physical activity and academic achievement among children. The overall conclusions are that children who are physically active tend to perform better in class and that daily physical education does not adversely affect academic performance.
http://www.activelivingresearch.org/files/Active_Ed.pdf

 
Guides:
Healthy Schools Program Framework
This guide outlines specific steps schools can take to create healthier school environments. The criteria are reviewed and revised annually by the American Heart Association and the Healthy Schools Program to ensure they are both credible and usable for schools.
http://www.healthiergeneration.org/schools.aspx?id=76&ekmensel=1ef02451_10_114_btnlink
 
Guidelines for School and Community Programs to Promote Lifelong Physical Activity among Young People
These guidelines identify strategies most likely to be effective in promoting physical activity among young people. They were developed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with experts from other federal agencies, state agencies, universities, national organizations and professional associations.
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/physicalActivity/guidelines/index.htm
 
School-Based Physical Education: Working with Schools to Increase Physical Activity among Children and Adolescents in Physical Education Classes
This action guide focuses on assisting local public health practitioners in increasing levels of physical activity and improving physical fitness among children and adolescents by working with elementary, middle, and high schools to implement more active physical education classes.
http://www.prevent.org/actionguides/SchoolPE.pdf
 
Establishing a Safe Routes to School State Network: A 10-Step Guide
This guide by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership describes how to bring together diverse partners to initiate policy changes that will make it safer and easier for children to be able to walk and bicycle to schools.
http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/media/file/SRTS_10stepguide_State_Network.pdf
 

Reports:

Shaping a Healthier Generation: Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices released this report that examines what states are currently doing to prevent obesity and encourage children to eat healthier and be more active in various settings including early childhood care and education, communities and health care settings. A justification of these settings is included as well as short chapters examining current state efforts in each.

www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0909HEALTHIERGENERATION.PDF

Shaping a Healthier Generation: Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity
This report examines what states are currently doing to prevent obesity and encourage children to eat healthier and be more active in various settings including early childhood care and education, communities and health care settings. A justification of these settings is included as well as short chapters examining current state efforts in each.
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0909HEALTHIERGENERATION.PDF

Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, released by the Centers for Disease Control, published this study which is a set of comprehensive recommendations to promote healthy eating and active living and reduce the prevalence of obesity in the United States.  The report contains 24 recommended obesity prevention strategies focusing on environmental and policy level change initiatives that can be implemented by local governments and school districts. The strategies address promoting the availability of healthy food and beverages, encouraging healthy food choice, breastfeeding and physical activity. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5807a1.htm

To assist local governments, states, and policy makers implement the CDC recommended obesity prevention strategies and report on the associated measurements a detailed Implementation and Measurement Guide was developed. The guide includes measurement data protocols, a listing of useful resources, and examples of communities that successfully implemented each obesity prevention strategy.  The Implementation and Measurement Guide is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/community_strategies_guide.pdf

Year 4 Evaluation: Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003 to Combat Childhood Obesity
In 2003, Arkansas enacted a law requiring schools to make improvements to their school wellness policies and their food and physical activity environments in order to help students lead healthier lives. This annual evaluation examines how these requirements are being implemented.
http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=31871
 
Assessment of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity in Arkansas
This report details statewide student weight classifications and BMI assessment participation for five consecutive years. Body mass index (BMI) data for the 2007-2008 school year indicate the state has continued to halt the progression of childhood obesity.
http://www.achi.net/ChildObDocs/080918YearFiveBMIReport.pdf
 
F as in Fat 2009: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America*
This annual report from Trust for America’s Health examines obesity rates in each state, as well as the policies state and local governments are enacting to help address the problem. Although many promising policies have emerged to promote physical activity and good nutrition in communities, the report concludes that they are not being adopted or implemented at levels needed to turn around this health crisis. http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2009/Obesity2009Report.pdf

*To learn more about state-level legislative action view the supplement to this report here: http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2009/StateSupplement2009.pdf

F as in Fat 2008: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America
This annual report from Trust for America’s Health examines obesity rates in each state, as well as the policies state and local governments are enacting to help address the problem. Although many promising policies have emerged to promote physical activity and good nutrition in communities, the report concludes that they are not being adopted or implemented at levels needed to turn around this health crisis.
http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2008/
 
Balance: A Report on State Action to Promote Nutrition, Increase Physical Activity and Prevent Obesity
The Balance report summarizes the key legislative and non-legislative action and trends of 2007. It includes information on active-living and healthy-eating initiatives in schools and communities, and how state policies progressed during the previous year.
http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=31471
 
Safe Routes to School: 2007 State of the States Report
The 2007 State of the States report tracks states' progress on implementing the $612 million federal Safe Routes to School program that Congress included in the 2005 SAFETEA-LU federal transportation bill. The report includes an executive summary, program needs, early success stories of action at the local level, observations and resources. A particularly valuable element of the report is a one-page "State of the States" matrix, featuring an overview of how all states are doing in achieving the following milestones: hiring a full-time state SRTS coordinator, developing an advisory committee, releasing application guidelines, and selecting and awarding projects that have submitted proposals for SRTS.
http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/media/file/rpt_SRTSstates2007.pdf  
 
Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities and Youth Obesity
This publication describes the insights gained from three county-school dialogues and contains practical, replicable information for community leaders derived from their peers. The report also describes two related forums with African-American and Latino county officials on the impacts of obesity among the youth of their communities.
http://www.leadershipforhealthycommunities.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=106
 

Designed for Disease

Is a study by PolicyLink, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy that examines the correlation between the health of nearly 40,000 Californian's and the mix of retail food outlets near their homes.

http://www.policylink.org/documents/DesignedforDisease.pdf

Local Wellness Policies: Assessing School District Strategies for Improving Children’s Health, School Years 2006–07 and 2007–08

This report by Bridging the Gap is a comprehensive review of wellness policies and uses research to set a baseline for examining and ultimately improving these policies.

http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=46348

Tools & Toolkits:
 

RWJF Center Fact Sheet on Southern Childhood Obesity 

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity releases fact sheet on childhood obesity rates in the South. Click here to download the fact sheet.

Nourishing the Kids of Katrina: The Edible Schoolyard

Learn more about this 36 minute documentary film as it follows the story of chef Alice Waters' Berkeley "Edible Schoolyard" program - centered around the caring for children - is replicated and contributes to the rebirth of the New Orleans uptown poor black Green Charter School after its devastation from Hurricane Katrina floodwaters.

The film features health professionals, educators, and students. It concludes with comments by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama about the development of the White House organic garden, issues of childhood obesity and health, and the importance of good nutrition. Click here for more information.

Active Living Research, Research Results Summary Slides

This set of PowerPoint slide sets represent research findings on topics related to obesity, physical activity, and the social and built environments. Each set of is grouped by the year in which results were published. http://www.activelivingresearch.org/resourcesearch/resultslides

Healthy Schools Builder
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation created this easy-to-use online tool to help schools take six steps toward creating healthier school environments.
http://www.healthiergeneration.org/builder/?ekmensel=1ef02451_10_14_btnlink           

Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT)
A tool created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help school districts evaluate physical education curricula based on national physical education standards. Results from the analysis can help school districts enhance existing curricula, develop their own curricula or select a published curriculum to help ensure the delivery of quality physical education.
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/PECAT/index.htm

Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Tool (ENACT)
ENACT is a hands-on assessment and planning resource for organizations, coalitions, schools and communities that are trying to improve their nutrition and physical activity environments. It was created by the Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments, and the tool can be used on a yearly basis to evaluate past and current efforts around nutrition and physical activity improvements and offer new priorities for the year ahead.
http://www.preventioninstitute.org/sa/enact/members/index.php
 

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