Physical Activity and Academic Achievement Across the Curriculum (A+PAAC)

There is currently considerable interest in both improving academic achievement (No Child Left Behind) and reducing the rates of obesity and its associated negative health consequences in elementary school students. Increased physical activity (PA) offers a potential intervention to address both issues. Evidence is available which suggests an association of PA with both academic achievement and obesity, and an association between obesity and academic achievement. To provide increased PA while maintaining academic instruction time, we developed a program we call "Physical Activity Across the Curriculum" (PAAC) in which regular classroom teachers were trained to deliver academic lessons using moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 20 minutes/d, 5 days/wk. This study is looking to compare academic achievement between students in elementary schools that participate in academic lessons taught through MVPA (PAAC) to students that do not (CON).