Overcoming Inequalities to Increase Physical Activity Levels within Primary School Children

许多儿童没有达到目前的身体活动目标，并且有强有力的新证据表明，在校期间和课外的身体活动水平存在严重不平等。缺乏体育活动是肥胖的主要原因，同时也会对认知功能、睡眠质量、压力和学习成绩产生负面影响。低运动量会导致精神健康状况不佳、缺乏自信和志向低；同时也影响社会因素，如目标感和价值观，生活质量和社会关系。由于缺乏身体活动的行为从童年一直延续到成年，因此迫切需要解决儿童缺乏身体活动的问题。世卫组织提出了到2025年将不活动减少10%的全球目标。然而，以前的干预措施未能成功地提高身体活动水平，而且在平等方面的差距似乎正在扩大。女孩的活动少于男孩，社会经济地位较低群体的儿童缺乏身体活动的程度较高。社会经济地位较高的学生更容易接受体育活动的机会。出于这个原因，仅仅通过增加身体活动机会进行干预不太可能吸引那些最需要帮助的人。社会生态学模型表明，许多因素影响身体活动，过去的干预措施可能由于缺乏多学科方法和对不平等问题辩论的有限参与而失败。目的和目标该项目的目的是与利益相关者合作，共同制定创新战略，以提高小学生的体育活动水平。该项目将分为三个关键阶段；第一阶段包括使用创新技术和深入的定性研究来评估身体活动水平，以探索和描述个体、结构和环境因素以及身体活动模式的差异。这些信息将用于为第二阶段提供信息；将对儿童、家长、照料者、教师、管理者和外部合作伙伴进行参与性研究，以了解身体活动的主要障碍。将共同设计一项干预措施和框架，可以对其进行调整、扩大规模和转移，以产生进一步的影响。一个关键的目标是给家长和老师，但最重要的是孩子，一个声音来领导干预发展。研究的最后阶段将使用客观的体育活动测量和定性反馈来测试和完善干预措施。如果获得额外的安置机会，这将用于在学校工作，以进一步微调干预和传播研究结果。确保海外机构访问将使我们有机会通过翻译国际背景进一步发展干预发展和影响方面的知识，并有能力传播研究结果和将知识转移到不同的应用环境中。这一研究领域是一个全球性的挑战，因此借鉴全球机构的技能和知识是明智的。应用和益处本研究旨在确定身体活动干预的成功核心原则，这些原则可用于制定适应性强且可扩展的计划，以在广泛的环境中增加儿童的身体活动。这项研究将深入了解干预措施是否值得进一步调查，是否可以进一步扩大和传播。干预框架将允许未来与学校、地方当局、青年体育信托基金、英格兰体育合作，并有可能纳入政府政策，以提高儿童的体育活动水平，特别是那些最需要的儿童。

Context Many children do not meet current physical activity targets and there is strong emerging evidence that there are significant inequalities in physical activity levels, both within a school day and outside school hours. Low physical activity is a major contributor to obesity, whilst also negatively affecting cognitive function, sleep quality, stress, and academic performance. Low activity can lead to poor mental health, low confidence and low aspirations; whilst also affecting social factors, such as sense of purpose and value, life quality and social relationships. Given that physical inactivity behaviours track from childhood into adulthood, there is an urgent need to address physical inactivity amongst children.WHO have stated a global aim to reduce inactivity by 10% by 2025. However, previous interventions have not succeeded in increasing physical activity levels and the gaps in equality appear to be widening. Girls engage in less activity than boys and children from lower socio-economic groups have higher levels of physical inactivity. Physical activity opportunities tend to be more readily taken up by pupils from a higher socio-economic status. For this reason, merely intervening with additional physical activity opportunities is unlikely to engage those most in need. Socioecological models demonstrate that numerous factors influence physical activity and it is likely that past interventions have failed due to lack of multidisciplinary approaches and limited engagement with debates around inequalities. Aims and objectivesThe aim of this project is to co-develop innovative strategies in partnership with stakeholders to increase physical activity levels in primary school children. The project will be divided into three key phases; the first phase involves assessing physical activity levels using innovative technology and in-depth qualitative research to explore and describe individual, structural and environmental factors and differences in physical activity patterns. This information will be used to inform phase two; participatory research will be conducted with children, parents, carers, teachers, governors and external partners to understand the main barriers to physical activity. An intervention and framework will be co-designed, which can be adapted, scaled up and transferred for further impact. A key objective is giving parents and teachers, but most importantly children, a voice to lead intervention development. The final phase of the research will use objective physical activity measures and qualitative feedback to test and refine the intervention. If an additional placement opportunity is secured this will be used to work in schools to further fine-tune the intervention and disseminate findings. Securing an overseas institutional visit would give the opportunity to further develop knowledge of intervention development and impact through translation from international contexts, and the ability to disseminate findings and transfer knowledge into different applied settings. This research area is a worldwide challenge and therefore it is sensible to draw on the skills and knowledge from institutions globally. Applications and benefitsThis research is designed to determine the successful core principles of a physical activity intervention, which can be used to develop adaptable and scalable programmes to increase children's physical activity across a broad range of settings. The research will give insight into whether the intervention warrants further investigation and could be scaled up and disseminated further. The intervention framework will allow for future collaborations with schools, local authorities, Youth Sport Trust, Sport England and could potentially feed into government policy to increase children's physical activity levels, particularly those most in need.