PACE: A school playground environmental and policy intervention to promote break time physical activity in primary-school-aged children.

Three-month, 2-arm, pilot group randomised controlled trial. Children aged 4 to 13 years who attend four selected small primary schools (student population approx 300 students) will be recruited for this study. Tacit consent will be gained at all four schools for playground observational physical activity data for all children aged 4 to 13 years. In addition, children in Years 4, 5 and 6 will be given the opportunity to complete a Peer Relations Survey. Primary outcome data (accelerometry) will be collected on 50-60 randomly selected children in Years 4, 5 and 6 at each school. Written consent will be gained for children completing the Peer Relations Survey and for those who are to be fitted with accelerometers. Consent forms will be distributed through participating schools. Following baseline measurements, schools will be randomised to either the intervention or a wait-list control group. The intervention schools will implement PACE (described below) following base line data collection in Term 2 of the school calendar. The intervention will run for 3 months. For ethical reasons and to minimize bias resulting from compensatory rivalry and resentful demoralization (Murray, 1998), we will offer the PACE intervention to the control schools at the completion of post-intervention assessment. PACE is a multi-component intervention designed to modify the physical (introduction of non-fixed equipment such as balls, skipping ropes and hoops) and policy-related (e.g. length of break time, no hat no play, time available for play, access to large playground areas) school playground environments to promote break time physical activity. We will also assess the impact of psychosocial variables (bullying) on children’s playground physical activity levels. PACE is guided by Social Cognitive Theory, in particular the environmental determinants of behaviour which includes reciprocal determinism and facilitation (Glanz, Rimer, & Viswanath, 2008). Following discussion with school principals, school staff, students and parents will be informed about the PACE intervention at a staff meeting, school assembly and Parents & Friends (P&F) meeting respectively. Research staff, the Principal, two students and two staff members from each intervention school will be invited to be part of a committee to implement PACE. To be part of the intervention, schools must agree to allow children access to non-fixed equipment for each break period. Each classroom will be allocated a quota of equipment for use during the break which will be monitored by a student from each class and signed for by users. The following policy changes will be included in the intervention: a maximum 5 minutes sitting at recess and 10 minutes at lunch, minimum 5 minutes extension of each break period, introduction of a ‘no hat, play in the shade’ policy (as an alternative to ‘no hat, no play’), and a revision of policies to encourage maximum access to sporting fields.