Advocates for the implementation of the Balanced School Day (BSD) schedule argue that this schedule will increase opportunities for physical activity. However, the relationship between this scheduling change and its impact on physical activity has not been examined. Thus, this study assessed levels of physical activity in students attending 2 different schools: 1 using the BSD and the other using the Traditional School Day (TSD) schedule.
Participation of students between grades 3 and 6 was sought. Data were collected over 4 school days using pedometers. Independent Sample t tests and 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed.
A total of 117 students participated. Overall, average daily step counts for boys (6972 ± 1952) were significantly higher than girls (5742 ± 1495; p