ArticlePloS one2017
Impacts of active school design on school-time sedentary behavior and physical activity: A pilot natural experiment.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of structural-level environmental interventions on physical activity: a systematic review.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2023Pooled it
- Impact of environmental interventions based on social programs on physical activity levels: A systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Temporal Trends in Children's School Day Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis.Journal of physical activity & health · 2021Pooled it
- Physical activity and sedentary time of youth in structured settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2020Pooled it
- The effectiveness and complexity of interventions targeting sedentary behaviour across the lifespan: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2020Pooled it
- A multilevel school-based intervention on sedentary time in children: effectiveness and socioeconomic moderation results from the CIPRES cluster-RCT.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- [Effect of an intervention in physical education classes on the reduction of sedentary behavior in adolescents].Cadernos de saude publica · 2024Trial
- Implementation of Brain BreaksInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Reducing classroom sedentary behaviour: a scoping review of interventions and student involvement.Health promotion international · 2025Article
- Influence of Prefecture-Level Yield of Not-for-Sale Vegetables on Vegetable Intake in Japan: A Natural Experiment.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Sedentary Patterns and Sit-to-Stand Transitions in Open Learning Spaces and Conventional Classrooms among Primary School Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Comparison of Classroom-Based Sedentary Time and Physical Activity in Conventional Classrooms and Open Learning Spaces Among Elementary School Students.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2021Article
- The effects of park-based interventions on health: a systematic review protocol.Systematic reviews · 2020Article
- Physical Activity in 15-17-Year-Old Adolescents as Compensation for Sedentary Behavior in School.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Investigating Motor Competence in Association with Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity in 7- to 11-Year-Old Children.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChildren spend a significant portion of their days in sedentary behavior (SB) and on average fail to engage in adequate physical activity (PA). The school built environment may influence SB and PA, but research is limited. This natural experiment evaluated whether an elementary school designed to promote movement impacted students' school-time SB and PA.
methodsAccelerometers measured SB and PA at pre and post time-points in an intervention group who moved to the new school (n = 21) and in a comparison group experiencing no school environmental change (n = 20). Difference-in-difference (DD) analysis examined SB and PA outcomes in these groups. Measures were also collected post-intervention from an independent, grade-matched group of students in the new school (n = 21).
resultsAs expected, maturational increases in SB were observed. However, DD analysis estimated that the intervention attenuated increase in SB by 81.2 ± 11.4 minutes/day (p<0.001), controlling for time in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The intervention was also estimated to increase daily number of breaks from SB by 23.4 ± 2.6 (p < .001) and to increase light physical activity (LPA) by 67.7 ± 10.7 minutes/day (p<0.001). However, the intervention decreased MVPA by 10.3 ± 2.3 minutes/day (p<0.001). Results of grade-matched independent samples analysis were similar, with students in the new vs. old school spending 90.5 ± 16.1 fewer minutes/day in SB, taking 21.1 ± 2.7 more breaks from SB (p<0.001), and spending 64.5 ± 14.8 more minutes in LPA (p<0.001), controlling for time in MVPA. Students in the new school spent 13.1 ± 2.7 fewer minutes in MVPA (p<0.001) than their counterparts in the old school.
conclusionsThis pilot study found that active school design had beneficial effects on SB and LPA, but not on MVPA. Mixed results point to a need for active classroom design strategies to mitigate SB, and quick access from classrooms to areas permissive of high-intensity activities to promote MVPA. Integrating active design with programs/policies to promote PA may yield greatest impact on PA of all intensities.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.