DURATION, INTENSITY, AND CONTENT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES IN A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF CHILDREN ATTENDING 5TH AND 6TH GRADES OF PRIMARY EDUCATION

Physical Education (PE) is an educational process that develops the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and well-being of children, through games, sports, exercises, etc. The study aimed to evaluate the parameters of physical activity (PA) during PE class and to investigate the content, time, and intensity of children who participated in PE class, by gender and obesity status. PA and PE items were assessed by a self-administrated PA checklist, proper for children. A representative sample of Greek boys and girls aged 10 to 12 years (N=3195) participated in the study. Boys incorporated higher levels of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) (62 ± 45 min/d) than girls (27 ± 33 min/d, p<0.05). Students, who participated in PE classes, presented increased total PA (139 ± 2 vs. 116 ± 51 min/d, p<0.05) and MVPA (62 ± 38 vs. 40 ± 32 min/d, p<0.05), and a higher percentage of them met (77 vs. 66%, p<0.05) the recommended PA levels than those who didn't participate. Among participants in PE classes, boys reported higher time of MVPA than girls (19.4 ± 23.9 vs. 10.3 ± 17.7 min/d, p<0.05), while girls had more time in light PA as compared to boys (15.1 ± 18.1 vs. 20.5 ± 21.3 min/d, p<0.05). There were no significant differences between normal-weight and overweight/obese participants in PE classes neither in PA sub-components (total PA, LPA, and MVPA) nor in sports/games did they participate. PE classes play a significant role in students' levels of PA, especially for overweight/obese children. Article visualizations