Understanding the social-ecological influences within school playgrounds on children’s enjoyment and participation in physical activity

n summary, from this series of five studies, it is possible to suggest that researchers can now target children’s physical activity during school lunch breaks with more confidence. Multiple social-ecological levels of influence on children’s physical activity during school breaks were identified. The facilitators and barriers to children’s physical activity during school breaks provided the framework to develop a reliable self-report measure examining multiple levels of influence on primary school children’s enjoyment of lunchtime play activities (LEAP questionnaire). The LEAP questionnaire study filled an important gap in the literature via the development of a school context-specific instrument to measure enjoyment, a key mediator of children’s school-based physical activity. Important for measuring children’s enjoyment of play during interventions targeting school lunch breaks, the intra- and inter-day reliability measurements established that measuring children’s enjoyment of lunchtime play would be representative of that particular day, but not necessarily that school week. Furthermore, a range of overall physical activity (steps, distance, intensity, activity types) and short-term quality of life and enjoyment effects from introducing a movable/recycled materials school playground intervention were evident. The RE-AIM evaluation and social-ecological model frameworks revealed that due to the cost-effectiveness, diversity and sustainability of introducing movable/recycled materials, the movable/recycled materials intervention could feasibly be implemented and maintained in a school for at least two and a half years. The positive and multiple social-ecological levels of influence from the intervention suggested that the simple implementation of movable/recycled materials could challenge the concept of conventional, fixed school playgrounds for use during school breaks. There are a number of challenges that face schools to promote children’s physical activity in our modern, urbanised society. This thesis builds upon previous literature to provide a range of multiple level strategies to ensure schools can take an active role in providing their children with a variety of daily physical activity opportunities within the crucial setting of schools and context of lunch breaks.