A mixed methods evaluation of a school physical activity environment scan tool

Introduction: Fifty-eight percent of children nationwide do not meet daily 60-minute recommendations for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).  Schools are important sources of PA opportunities, and supportive policies and environments are associated with higher MVPA among children.  This study evaluated a brief survey designed to characterize PA-supportive school policies, programs, and environment.

Methods:  At eight diverse urban schools, physical education (PE) teachers completed the 10-item school PA environmental scan questionnaire (PASQ) which included yes/no and scaled responses (maximum score=24).  To test instrument reliability, surveys were administered twice across one to two weeks.  Interviews with respondents and observations of written policies, facilities, PE classes, and recess were used to assess agreement between respondent responses and researcher assessment of the supportiveness of the school’s PA environment. 

Results:  Test/re-test results indicated 89 percent concordant responses within respondents; items on fitness testing, recess minutes, and classroom PA breaks had the lowest agreement.  Researchers’ qualitative assessments of the PA environment resulted in lower ratings than indicated by PE teachers, particularly the assessment of “adequate indoor and outdoor space for PA.”

Discussion:  While a larger study is needed to verify results, the reliability of the PASQ appears reasonable, particularly for policy items such as PE teacher qualifications.  However, the PASQ responses may overestimate the level of PA-support experienced by students.  Measuring and interpreting school support for PA is complex since the implementation of policies in real-world school settings often reflect subtle academic/PA tradeoffs of curricular time and resources that may result in degraded support for PA.