PROMOTING LIFETIME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN YOUTH: FOCUS ON SCHOOLS

1496 The public health community is becoming increasingly interested in the role schools can play in physical activity promotion. Children spend nearly seven hours a day, 36 weeks of the year, on a school campus for 13 years. Almost all participate in some form of structured physical education until high school, and many engage in extracurricular programs. Thus, school is the primary place where children can be active, learn movement skills, and develop lifelong physical activity habits. Although there is increased recognition of health benefits accruing from physical activity within the scientific community, there is a substantial decrease in the financial and administrative support for physical education and extracurricular physical activity programs. This session is designed to update a broad range of professionals on the latest programs and research on physical education and physical activity promotion in schools. It is designed to: (a) summarize the rationale for and scientific basis of health-related physical education and extracurricular programs, (b) provide examples from research on tested elementary through high school programs and methods, and (c) provide a forum for ACSM participants to interact with four Fellows who have been involved in nationally-funded projects in schools.