Moving the Needle on Children’s Physical Activity – How to Best Promote More Movement?

Book excerpt: Globally, physical inactivity is on the rise in most countries, and according to the WHO, it is considered one of the leading major public health risks. As children’s physical activity behaviors are conveyed into adulthood, many interventions focus on establishing healthy physical activity habits in children to prevent the potential negative health outcomes associated with low physical activity over the life course. The school environment provides an opportunity to reach the majority of children, however, physical activity promotion in schools can often be a challenge. Barriers to the success of physical activity interventions include the physical, social and economic environment, competencies, and workload of teachers, as well as the perception that physical activity may interfere with the primary task of schools, which is education. Moreover, the evaluation of physical activity interventions for children is challenging, raising a discussion on how to best evaluate these interventions.