THE QUANTITY AND INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN 3rd GRADE PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to establish the effective time parameters of physical education (PE) lessons and the amount of time that children spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Methods: The study involved a total of 189 third-grade pupils (94 boys and 95 girls), aged 8 to 9 years, from five primary schools in the Slovenian coastal region. We used an accelerometer in each school to measure the quantity and intensity of activity during three PE lessons led by the class teacher and / or PE teachers. Results: We found that the average duration of a PE lesson was 36.6 ± 7.7 minutes: lesson preparation time 14.9 ± 7.7 minutes, the main activity 19.3 ± 7.1 minutes and the conclusion 1.8 ± 2.4 minutes. Time spent in MVPA was 13.2 ± 4.1 minutes, with no statistical differences between genders (P = 0.338). An average PE lesson carried outdoor on the outside playground lasted an average 7 minutes less than lesson in the gym (P = 0.066), and the average PE lesson’s effective time was shorter by 1.5 minutes as well (P = 0.011). The children led by both teachers together showed, on average, that their MVPA had been shortened by 3.5 minutes. There were no statistical differences between a PE teacher and a classroom teacher. Furthermore, it was revealed that the time spent in MVPA tends to decrease proportionally with the increase in the number of children participating actively in the PE lesson (r = -.12; P = 0.092). Conclusions: The research only included the time spent in MVPA during PE lessons and not their content. However, it can be concluded that everyday PE lessons could extend the time spent in MVPA by 6 % a week.