Has the Alberta daily physical activity initiative been successfully implemented in Calgary schools?

INTRODUCTION

In September 2005, the Alberta government introduced the daily physical activity (DPA) initiative, which requires that students from grades 1 to 9 be physically active in school for a minimum of 30 min per day.

OBJECTIVE

To obtain information on whether and how the DPA initiative has been implemented in Calgary schools.

METHODS

Information was obtained through a descriptive survey. Principals and vice-principals from elementary schools participated in an interview, in which they were asked questions about the DPA initiative, their definition of physical activity, the types of activities that fulfilled the DPA requirement, and barriers to increasing physical activity and physical education.

RESULTS

98.2% of respondents reported being aware of the DPA initiative; 100% of respondents reported it being successfully implemented. The leading responses to the question, "How do you define physical activity?" were "moving/movement" (43.5%), "increasing the heart rate" (32.7%) and "being active" (29%). 78.2% of participants responded that physical education was the only type of activity that fulfilled the DPA requirement; the other participants reported that recess, intramurals and DPA periods organized by the teacher also counted. 69.1% and 61.1% of respondents, respectively, stated that there were barriers to increasing physical education and physical activity. A lack of time in the curriculum, a lack of space and a lack of funding were the most frequently reported barriers.

CONCLUSION

According to principal and vice-principal reports, the DPA initiative has been successfully implemented in elementary schools in Calgary. This suggests that government initiatives directed at increasing physical activity at school could result in increasing the actual amount of physical activity that children participate in. However, prospective longitudinal research directly measuring the amount of physical activity that children engage in is needed to directly assess the impact of such initiatives.