Active Mile Daily Track is a school-based initiative that encourages children to walk or run around the school grounds for 15 min (on average the equivalent of 1 mile) during lesson time. The intervention takes place in all weather conditions and is a supplement to the classroom curriculum, rather than replacing PE or break-times. Teachers were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews to explore their perceptions of the benefits of the programme and barriers and facilitators to participation and delivery. Learn more:https://activemiledailytrack.co.uk/
Unlocking Peak Performance: Strategies for Daily Mileage Goals
A total of 77 teachers from 14 state primary schools in the Stirling Council area were interviewed. Teachers were asked about the impact of the Daily Mile on pupil behaviour in the classroom and on physical fitness (as measured by 6-min run test, waist-to-height ratio, standing long jump and cardiorespiratory endurance). Descriptive statistics including Pearson kh2 and Student’s t tests with p 0.05 were performed for baseline group frequency comparisons. General linear model ANOVA with repeated measures was used to investigate the effects of the Daily Mile on the outcome variables. Analysis adjusted for age at time of testing, gender and age*gender.
Anecdotally, teachers reported positive impacts on both pupil behaviour in the classroom and on pupils’ physical fitness. However, the magnitude of these impacts is unclear as this was an exploratory study. Further research, using gold-standard measurement techniques, is required to understand the impact of this mass participation physical activity initiatives on key outcomes such as MVPA, sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular health.
