WHO INFORMATION SERIES ON SCHOOL HEALTH ... - PAHO/WHO

Gender:
21
Promoting Physical Activity in Schools
Girls and boys have different perceptions, interests, opportunities and barriers in regard to physical activity.
Studies have shown that girls and boys perceive benefits of physical activity differently. Girls might be more
interested in weight management while boys are usually more often interested in competition and strength
building. Girls are also more likely to be involved in aerobics, dance or yoga and less likely to participate in
team sports (65;66). In general, compared with boys, girls are less engaged in physical activity. In ethnically
diverse countries, it has also been seen that race and ethnicity determine children’s participation in physical
activity (67). In countries where it is not considered appropriate for women to do sports or girls to play physically
active games in public, girls should get the opportunity to be physically active in the privacy of physical
education classes. These factors should be considered in efforts to promote increased physical activity.
The national-level NGO Insan Foundation-Pakistan, in collaboration with the international NGO Right to
Play, introduced physical activity projects in eight schools in Afghanistan. Close to 100 local coaches
were trained to conduct sport and play activities in these schools. A special focus was the inclusion
of girls who have been culturally restricted not to participate in sport and play activities. The projects
included modification of play sites and the promotion of girls-only events and activities. The projects
were well received by both students and teachers and sport and play are now an integral part of school
activities of both girls and boys.
Source: Right to Play Annual Report 2003 (68).
http://membership.righttoplay.com/site/PageServer
Culture:
Physical activities and games differ from country to country and culture to culture. Annex 3 provides you with
examples of popular games played in different countries.
A school-based, multi-component intervention for reducing obesity among American Indian school
children focuses on the change in dietary intake, the increase in physical activity, classroom curricula
on healthy eating and lifestyle and family-involvement, and receives strong support from the local tribal
community. Physical activity intervention includes three 30-min physical education sessions per week,
exercise breaks during classroom time and guided play during recess. (64).
WHO Information Series on School Health