Socioeconomic Disparities in Elementary School Practices and Children's Physical Activity During School

Abstract Purpose. To examine school socioeconomic status (SES) in relation to school physical activity-related practices and children's physical activity. Design. A cross-sectional design was used for this study. Setting. The study was set in 97 elementary schools (63% response rate) in two U.S. regions. Subjects. Of the children taking part in this study, 172 were aged 10.2 (standard deviation (SD) = 1.5) years; 51.7% were girls, and 69.2% were White non-Hispanic. Measures. School physical education (PE) teachers or principals responded to 15 yes/no questions on school physical activity-supportive practices. School SES (low, moderate, high) was derived from the percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch. Children's moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during school was measured with accelerometers. Analysis. School level analyses involved linear and logistic regression; children's MVPA analyses used mixed effects regression. Results. Low-SES schools were less likely to have a ...