Conference Publication Details
Mandatory Fields
Shane Russell, Liam Mc Govern, Gráinne Power, Éadaoin Moore, Brian P Carson
PE PAYS Annual Conference
The amount of MVPA achieved in a Dance Physical Education Class
2014
June
Unpublished
1
()
Optional Fields
Waterford IT
                          

Physical activity (PA) is associated with decreased risk for diseases such as CVD, Diabetes, Cancer, anxiety and depression, and can result in improvements in cognitive function and bone health in children (Jannsen & LeBlanc, 2010: International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition & Physical Activity, 7:40). Physical Education (PE) represents an opportunity to impact the health of every child in Ireland through regular and structured PA. Purpose: To establish the energy expenditure and time spent in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) by adolescents, during a standardised PE Class in an Irish post-primary level school. Methodology: 126 adolescents from four Irish post-primary schools participated in a standardised PE class scheduled for 40 minutes. Participants wore a SenseWearPro2 Armband to enable measurement of energy expenditure and physical activity. Data are displayed as Mean ± s. Results: Participants were physically active for 31 ± 1 minutes of the scheduled PE class time, accumulating 30 ± 1 minutes of MVPA and expending 1033 ± 228 J. Discussion: A high proportion of class time (75 %) is spent in MVPA. However, this only equates to 50% of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO, 2010: Global recommendations on physical activity for health) recommended daily requirements for this population. Conclusion: PE contributes significantly to daily PA requirements of 12-15 year olds, however, adolescents must partake in PA outside of class or increase time dedicated to PE to achieve levels needed for maintaining health.

Grant Details