Alaska's School Wellness Initiative: Enhancing Physical Activity To Combat Childhood Obesity In Anchorage Elementary Schools

In Anchorage, Alaska, 19.9% of school-aged children have obesity. In response to parent concerns about elementary students’ physical activity and nutrition options, the Anchorage School District (ASD) implemented a wellness initiative. This initiative piloted extended recess (30 vs. 20 minutes) and teacher-implemented movement breaks for a total of 54 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity (PA) during the school day (90% of the CDC recommendation). PURPOSE: This study examined the impact of implementing extended recess and school-based PA opportunities on elementary students’ PA levels in Anchorage, Alaska. METHODS: A sample of elementary school students from schools with the wellness initiative (intervention) and without (control) provided consent and enrolled in the study. PA levels were measured once using an accelerometer (GT3X-BT) worn on the non-dominant wrist for seven consecutive days. Predefined cut-points determined PA intensity levels (sedentary, light, and moderate), with activity counts used to estimate the duration and percentage of total time spent at each level. The percentage of time spent at different PA levels (sedentary, light, and moderate) between intervention and control schools will be compared using an independent sample t-test, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Six intervention (n = 184, 41.6%) and five control schools (n = 258, 58.4%) participated in the first school year of PA data collection (2022-2023). Students in intervention schools exhibited significant differences at all activity levels during the school day. Time spent in sedentary activity was significantly lower in intervention schools compared to control schools (41.7 ± 12.6% vs. 49.6 ± 17.5%, p < 0.001). Additionally, the percentage of time spent in light-intensity activity was higher for students from intervention schools compared to controls (4.5 ± 0.92% vs. 4.1 ± 1.31%, p < 0.001). Intervention schools spent more time at moderate intensity than control schools (53.8 ± 12.1% vs. 46.4 ± 16.6%, p < 0.001) and exceeded the PA guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: The ASD wellness initiative effectively elevated light and moderate-intensity PA levels while decreasing the percentage of sedentary time during the school day. This policy change is a positive step towards children meeting PA guidelines. NIH R01HD107492