2005/06 Follow Up Evaluation and Daily Physical Activity Study

In 2005, the Ontario Ministry of Education announced that every elementary student in Ontario must participate in a minimum of 20 minutes of daily physical activity (DPA) as part of the Health and Physical Education Curriculum.

By the fall of 2006, surveys of students and school principals showed that Living Schools were able to implement DPA into their curriculum more effectively and more quickly. In fact, 62% of Living Schools indicated they would achieve their DPA targets within the school year. Only 20% of comparative schools reported they would be able to reach DPA targets.

A high percentage of students in Living Schools also report participating in DPA in non-school settings, indicating that these physical activity behaviours are carrying over into children’s lives outside of school as well.

This evaluation was lead by Dr. Martin Shain with funding support from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.