School Lunch and Physical Activity During Recess: Interactive Effects of Health Behaviors in the School Setting
Authors: McLoughlin Gabriella , Edwards Caitlyn , Covello Alicia , Baumgartner Nicholas , Curran Morgan , Graber Kim , Woods Amy , Khan Naiman 
Published: November 2023

Decreased opportunities for physical activity and an abundance of calorically‐dense and fast foods are increasingly contributing to health problems for children. Schools serve as important avenues for the promotion of healthful eating and physical activity behaviors. Specifically, the adoption of evidence‐based policies pertaining to school lunch and recess have the potential to provide a sustainable means of promoting healthful behaviors and preventing childhood obesity. The interactive relationships between school lunch intake and physical activity during recess, however, remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the influence of lunch scheduling on both physical activity during recess and food intake at lunch. Fourth and fifth grade students (N=151, 91 females) were recruited from two low‐income (>75% participation in free and reduced school lunch) schools. Lunch intake and physical activity attained during recess were assessed over a 5‐day period. Lunch intake was measured using a weighted plate waste technique assisted by digital photography, and physical activity during recess was measured using accelerometry. Lunch was scheduled either prior to or immediately following recess in each school. Relationships between physical activity and lunch variables were analyzed using partial correlations controlling for sex, recess timing, duration, and BMI. A 2 × 2 ANOVA was used to determine the impact of lunch timing (before vs. after recess) and scheduled time for both lunch and recess (15 min vs. 30 min) on nutritional intake and recess physical activity. Engagement in moderate‐to‐vigorous PA (MVPA) was inversely related to intakes of energy (r= −.23, p<.001), carbohydrate (r=−.209, p=.037), fat (r=−.209, p=.037), and total sugars (r=−.228, p=.022). Children who received lunch before recess obtained greater PA (p=<0.01) and were less sedentary (p=.03). In contrast, those who had lunch after recess had higher intakes of energy (p=.007), carbohydrates (p=.017), and fat (p <.001). Interaction effects for PA were found between recess timing and recess duration (p < .01), whereby for children who had a longer recess duration, scheduling recess after lunch achieved the greatest MVPA. Main effects were found for recess scheduling and vegetable consumption (p=.025) such that those who had lunch prior to recess consumed a significantly greater proportion of vegetables. These findings demonstrate that eating behaviors at lunch and physical activity during recess are interrelated. Further, provision of lunch prior to recess was related to greater vegetable intake and engagement in physical activity during recess. The finding that lunch intake and PA were influenced by contextual factors provides support for the importance of school policies in influencing health behaviors. Future experimental trials are necessary to determine whether school lunch/recess policy provides improvement in health behaviors in the school setting and reduction of childhood obesity risk.

Support or Funding Information

Funded by the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois