School Aged Children and Young Adults

We collaborated with colleagues in the Teacher Education Department and the Wellbeing Partners to provide a video series around classroom physical activity. This video series consists of 7 videos which are less than 10-minutes each and are accompanied by supplemental videos and/or resources. The series was developed to support teachers and other youth-serving organizations to improve opportunities for classroom physical activity and is available here: Classroom Physical Activity Video Series

Sample Publications on Classroom Physical Activity:

• Exploring secondary science teachers’ use of classroom physical activity 

• They just need to move: Teachers’ perceptions of classroom physical activity 

• Examining the knowledge and capacity of elementary teachers to implement classroom physical activity breaks 

The Brain Blasters project was a collaborative effort between UNO, LiveWell Omaha Kids (now the Wellbeing Partners), and Omaha Metro teachers to increase classroom physical activity. Funding was provided by CHI Health. 

These PDF’s provide tips for utilization as well as information on the latest classroom physical activity research and resources. Each PDF also includes a link to a Brain Blasters video. These can be shared with schools who would like to send them to teachers via weekly e-mails or as printouts.

• Best Practices

• Classroom Management

• Kinesthetic Classroom

• Impact of a Brain Blaster

• Classroom Organization

• Fit Fitness In

College is another critical period for the development or maintenance of physical activity behaviors. As such we have conducted several studies assessing physical activity and well-being in college students with the long-term goal of helping students to meet and maintain the physical activity guidelines not only during college, but after they leave as well.

Sample Publications:

• A qualitative exploration of former college student-athletes’ wellness 

• A needs assessment for physical activity programming on a college campus based on the transtheoretical model  

We have also collaborated with various community organizations to support the physical activity of children through afterschool programs and community-based childhood obesity programs.  Several of these programs have specifically focused on improving the physical activity of girls.

Sample Publications:

• Healthy families: A family-based community intervention targeting childhood obesity 

• Evaluation of GoGirlGo!: A practitioner-based program to improve physical activity

Our lab has also developed several infographics to provide ideas and activities to support children's physical activity in general. Feel free to share!

• Get Moving and Get Learning

• Exercise Bingo

• Fun and Easy Exercises for Kids

• Recharge Your Brain with Stretching

• Active Transportation to School

• Tips for Teachers to be Physically Active