The School Yard Project

The School Yard Project was designed to increase the level of physical activity among school-aged children in a low-income urban neighborhood. Daily physical activity in youth decreases the risk of excess weight gain and decreases the risk of developing chronic diseases due to obesity and sedentary lifestyle. Many studies show that neighborhood safety and the physical environment are positively associated with the level of physical activity in youth. The School Yard Project was created with the idea that providing a safe and accessible location for children to play and be active would increase their physical activity.

Between 2002 and 2005 a school yard in New Orleans, the King schoolyard, was opened after school. Before the project began, the school yard was kept closed and locked outside of school hours. The project provided balls, hula hoops, jump ropes, and basketball goals, and installed a play structure. The schoolyard was open to all students between second and eighth grade. Adult supervision was also provided at all times and children could come and go. There were no organized activities.

To increase physical activity among children in a low-income urban neighborhood.

A study to evaluate the School Yard Project compared the physical activity of kids at the King school yard and the surrounding neighborhood to a control neighborhood where a school yard was not opened up after school hours. In seven of the eight periods of evaluation after the intervention began, there were more children outdoors and physically active in the intervention neighborhood than in the control neighborhood. Over the entire two-year follow-up period, there were 20% more children observed outdoors and physically active in the intervention neighborhood than in the control neighborhood (mean 42 vs. 34 per day).