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When to Eat and When to Play: Variations in Recess and Lunch Scheduling Within a State 40-Min Recess Policy
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

When to Eat and When to Play: Variations in Recess and Lunch Scheduling Within a State 40-Min Recess Policy

Erin K. Howie, Samantha M. Harden, Juan Lemus, Brett Stone, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson and Christopher R. Long
The Journal of school health, Vol.95(10), pp.837-845
2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.70055
PMID: 40778587
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Published1.09 MBDownloadView
Open Access CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Education & Educational Research Education, Scientific Disciplines Health Care Sciences & Services Life Sciences & Biomedicine Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Science & Technology Social Sciences
Background Little is known on the implementation of school recess policies to explore the policy-to-practice gap and to ultimately promote quality recess for all students. The purpose was to determine recess scheduling in a state requiring 40 min of daily recess. Methods A cross-sectional document analysis of public elementary schools' recess schedules from the 2023 to 2024 school year (n = 526 available schools). Schedules by grade level were compared between school grades, rurality, and minority enrollment. Results Schedules were obtained from 113 (n = 535 grade-level schedules) schools. Overall, 51.4% of grades received two daily recess periods. The average total duration of recess was 34.4 (SD 11.8) minutes. A total of 43% of grades had recess before lunch. Upper grades had a shorter recess duration compared to lower grades (B −1.2 min, p = 0.009) and were more likely to have their first recess in the afternoon (OR 4.8, p < 0.001). Urban (p = 0.017) and high minority enrollment (p = 0.020) schools were more likely to have recess immediately following lunch. Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity Schools should consider providing equal opportunities for recess duration and scheduling across grades and consider options for recess before lunch. Conclusions Recess scheduling varies in frequency, duration, and timing within one state-level recess requirement.

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