Revisiting Recess: A Mixed-Methods Study to Understand Physical Activity During Changing Recess Policies

ABSTRACTBackground Recess is an integral part of a comprehensive school physical activity program. Immediately prior to the pandemic, state legislation doubled the amount of required recess, creating an opportunity to better understand how policies and practices influence recess.Purpose To describe changes to recess due to COVID-19 and extended recess legislation and to quantify student physical activity during recess following these changes.Methods This mixed-method study was conducted in Spring 2021 in four elementary schools. Recess physical activity was measured using waist-worn accelerometers, recess was observed, and researchers conducted interviews with teachers and principals.Results Females spent 41.7% (95%CI: 38.2, 44.5) and males spent 47.9% (95%CI: 44.6, 51.2) of recess in accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (n = 164). Participants (n = 13) discussed increased supervision, classroom separation on the playground, and benefits of extended recess.Discussion States should consider extending recess requirements but need to consider options for scheduling and indoor recess. Recess continues to be a key physical activity opportunity during school.Translation to Health Education Practice Health Educators considering changes to recess policies and practices may want to consider scheduling of recess including class integration, options for indoor recess, and professional development for recess supervision to help maximize the benefits of recess. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Human subjects approval statementLetters of support were obtained from all school principals and activities were approved by university Institutional Review Board and school districts when necessarySupplementary dataSupplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2023.2253874.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the University of Arkansas Honors College [N/A]; University of Arkansas - Provost Collaborative Grant [N/A].