Doing more physical activity and sitting less is important for health and well-being in young people. However, many are not active for the government recommended time of 60 minutes per day, and they also sit for long periods. This is particularly true for adolescents. This unhealthy lifestyle is heavily influenced by the environment in which they live and spend most of their time.
The CASE project aims to find ways to help young people be more active and sit less within the school environment. This is in line with the Department of Health physical activity policies, the overall goal that schools will be active promoters of health in childhood and adolescence.
This project, funded by the Department of Health policy research program, will increase our understanding of how secondary schools can help young people move more and sit less throughout the school day. It will help us find out what strategies would be most effective, acceptable and provide the best value for money. CASE project involves:
- Identifying potential intervention strategies by reviewing the literature and analysing existing datasets.
- Including adolescents, parents, teachers, school architects, commissioners and other experts in the prioritisation of promising interventions.
- Testing the feasibility of two interventions in schools. This may include changing the physical environment of the outside space or features of the classroom, or implementing novel school-level policies that focus on adolescent activity and sedentary time.
.For more visit: www.cedar.iph.cam.ac.uk/case/