Physical education in schools is becoming a popular discussion topic. Nonprofit organizations, that recognize the value of Yoga practice, have jumped on the bandwagon to support it. Charitable group, Bent on Learning, raised $325,000 for children’s Yoga in schools in June 2011, through an elite fundraiser, with guests like Gwyneth Paltrow.
Health and Physical Education promotes an appreciation of how movement in all its forms is central to daily life — from meeting functional requirements and providing opportunities for active living to acknowledging participation in physical activity and sport as significant cultural and social practices.
Although school PE has been identified as an important existing network in which messages and interventions promoting out-of-school physical activity participation could be promulgated, interventions to promote out-of-school physical activity through school PE are rare and these studies often only have limited follow-up periods of behavioural outcomes.
The identification of factors that determine physical activity participation, and the processes by which they affect action, is paramount in providing formative evidence on which to base effective behavioural interventions 8 The application of psychological theory, particularly theories of motivation and attitudes, has been at the forefront of providing an evidence base for the factors that drive participation in physical activity 9 , 10 However, only recently has this evidence has been applied to understand how teachers can promote students’ physical activity outside of school 10 Such evidence is essential as it provides guidance on the content of interventions likely to be effective in promoting physical activity participation.
Principal and physical education teacher surveys were developed, converted to an online format, and then emailed along with a project description and instructions to all Delaware public and charter school physical education teachers (N = 183) and principals (N = 193) with a valid email.