Active Mile Daily Track
The Active Mile Daily Track is an online software program that enables schools to track the number of laps pupils walk or run around their school’s designated running track. The software can then display the laps on class and school pages with league tables and graphs to motivate children to increase their physical activity levels.
This project is a quasi-experimental evaluation of the anecdotally reported benefits of The Daily Mile, an easy-to-implement and cost-effective physical activity initiative that can be delivered in schools. Ethical approval for the study was granted by the University of Stirling and the Stirling Council Research Ethics Committee. Pupils from two schools, one with and one without a Daily Mile, were recruited to the study. They were measured for sedentary behaviour using accelerometers, their level of MVPA using the bleep test and body composition using skinfolds before and after their intervention school introduced The Daily Mile.
From Couch to Active: A Beginner’s Guide to Mileage Tracking
Teachers were interviewed using an interpretive thematic approach, with open-ended questions addressing how they define and deliver The Daily Mile, their perceived benefits for children who take part and barriers to participation. Thirteen teachers (eleven women) from the participating schools were interviewed.
Teachers overwhelmingly positively viewed the Daily Mile and found it to be an effective strategy for increasing physical fitness in their pupils. In addition, teachers who had access to green space and an all-weather surface tended to consider their school better equipped for The Daily Mile than those who did not. The main barrier to Daily Mile participation was the weather, particularly wet and icy conditions. Some teachers attempted to circumvent this barrier by ensuring that the Daily Mile was completed in indoor facilities, or by limiting pupil participation on days with adverse weather.
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