Increasing physical activity in the primary school setting

Abstract

Physical Activity (PA) among children and adolescents in Malta is relatively low, with a significant proportion not being physically active during their free time outside school hours (NAO, 2010a). Lack of PA in childhood leads to increased risk of being overweight or obese in adulthood, as well as an increase in obesity-related health problems (Beck, 2013). Children spend half of their waking hours at school and consequently schools should contribute significantly towards students‟ daily PA. To gather a detailed overview of the research questions, a qualitative research method approach was used. In this study, perceptions, attitudes and ideas of Heads of Schools on the current PA situation and the possibility of increasing physical active periods in daily schooling were investigated through semi-structured interviews. This study also investigated a programme aimed at including regular PA within the school setting through a cross-curricular approach. This study found that not enough importance is being placed on PA in primary schools and that the weekly recommended sessions are not being carried out in schools. This echoes what was stated by the NAO (2010b). In addition, the main factor that hinders teachers to deliver regular Physical Education (PE) lessons is mainly the teaching load of other subjects‟ syllabi. According to the respondents, the ideal way forward should consist of in-service courses for class teachers to help them deliver better PE lessons and having a specialized PE teacher stationed in every primary school.