School fitness plan could run round world
SCHOOLS worldwide should adopt Scotland’s Daily Mile fitness scheme to improve children’s health, according to researchers.
The groundbreaking initiative founded at a Stirling primary school involves pupils taking a 15-minute break from class for physical activity.
The first study of the scheme has found it improves fitness and activity levels and reduces children’s body fat.
Researchers studying nearly 400 pupils found those doing the Daily Mile ran further in an endurance test than pupils at a school that did not take part.
Those who did the Daily Mile were more active and also had less body fat.
Elaine Wyllie, former head of St Ninian’s Primary School in Stirling, founded the initiative in 2012 when she realised how unfit her pupils were. Children are encouraged to run, jog or walk round school grounds during a 15-minute break from class, in addition to normal playtimes and PE lessons.
Researchers studied pupils at two primary schools in the Stirling area, with a total of 391 aged between four and 12 taking part.
Dr Colin Moran, a senior lecturer in sport at Stirling University, who co-led the study, said: ‘Our research observed positive changes in children who participated in the Daily Mile, compared to our control school where the scheme was not introduced.
‘It suggests the Daily Mile is a worthwhile intervention in schools and should be considered for inclusion in government policy, both at home and abroad.’
The children had an initial assessment and were given monitors to record activity levels. One school did the Daily Mile but the other did not. A second assessment was carried out a few months later.
Dr Moran said: ‘We observed a relative increase of 9.1 minutes per day in terms of moderate to vigorous physical activity and a relative decrease of 18.2 minutes per day in sedentary time in those pupils at the Daily Mile school.
‘Children at the Daily Mile school covered, on average, 39.1 metres more during an endurance run.’
The researchers, whose findings were published in the journal BMC Medicine, also checked the children’s body composition using a ‘skinfold test’, in which measurements of fat are taken from the arms and waist. It found pupils at the Daily Mile school had smaller measurements than those at the other school.
Since the initiative began in 2012, around half of Scotland’s primary schools have taken it up. Belgium, the Netherlands, and parts of the US have also adopted the scheme.
Mrs Wyllie said: ‘I founded the Daily Mile as I became concerned about the lack of physical fitness displayed by pupils and wanted to find a solution.
‘With my pupils I saw 15 minutes of daily activity rapidly improved fitness, health and concentration in the classroom.
‘I am delighted this new research underlines what I found and I look forward to the day when every school does the Daily Mile.’
Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said: ‘The Daily Mile initiative is catching the imagination of the UK and beyond and this research is even more validation of the impact it can have on people’s lives. We want Scotland to be the first Daily Mile nation, with nurseries, colleges, universities and workplaces taking part.’