Did the 'Daily Mile' initiative, which involves running 15 minutes a day, have a positive effect on children?
The Daily Mile , an initiative that began in the UK and has since spread around the world, involves schoolchildren running one mile (about 1.6km) outdoors for 15 minutes a day. While some see this initiative as simply cutting back on study time for a run, a new report has been released to examine whether it actually works.
The Daily Mile makes primary school children more active, less sedentary and improves their fitness and body composition: a quasi-experimental pilot study | BMC Medicine | Full Text
Does running a mile a day really improve children's lives? | Life and style | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/may/21/does-running-a-mile-a-day-really-improve-childrens-lives
The Daily Mile was started by Elaine Wiley, a former elementary school teacher. Wiley was shocked when an 80-year-old volunteer staff member told her, 'The children at your school aren't healthy,' so she discussed it with her physical education teacher. She received the response, 'Many children these days are exhausted just from warm-up exercises.' That afternoon, Wiley went to observe a physical education class and was shocked to see most of the children hunched over, unable to move.
So Wiley started a program where the children went outside and ran for 15 minutes a day. By running every day, the children gradually built up their stamina, and after a month they were able to run for 15 minutes without stopping. This initiative was then incorporated into the curriculum of all classes at the school and the nursery school, and this is where the 'Daily Mile' initiative began.
About The Daily Mile | The Daily Mile
This initiative has now been adopted by over 3,600 primary schools in 35 countries around the world. All of these schools joined the group because they supported the Daily Mile's idea, but the lack of data to show its effectiveness has been a weakness. However, in May 2018, the results of a study of 391 children attending two Scottish primary schools were published.
These schools implemented the Daily Mile program for seven months, and as a result, in a 'shuttle run test' in which children ran back and forth to the same place every day, they were able to run 5% further than children who did not run every day. Children at schools that introduced the Daily Mile program were found to have more toned bodies. Additionally, the time they spent engaged in moderate to vigorous intensity activity increased by an average of nine minutes per day, while the time they spent working at a desk or other physical activity decreased by 18 minutes.
Changes have also been observed in the children's bodies. The size of skin folds, one of the factors used to measure obesity, was 4% lower than that of other children, and children at schools that introduced the Daily Mile program have been shown to have more toned bodies. In England and Scotland, 30% of children are overweight, and there are growing concerns about their health in later life. While the causal relationship has not yet been clarified, the fact that a certain correlation has been found between Daily Mile and reducing obesity is noteworthy evidence. Furthermore, making running a daily habit for children is said to have a positive effect on their mood.
The 15-minute daily goal only partially meets the recommended one hour of moderate-to-vigorous activity per day. However, since only one-fifth of children ages 5 to 15 meet this standard, encouraging consistent 15 minutes of physical activity is worthwhile. A recent national survey found that one-third of parents underestimate the amount of physical activity their children need. Study leader Susan Coan of Leeds Beckett University said, 'Parents and children believe that the biggest barrier to being more active is a lack of time.' Coan emphasizes the importance of incorporating physical activity into daily life, such as walking to school every day and choosing physical activities when playing games at home.
One reason exercise is considered so important for children is that it helps establish lifelong habits. 'Children who are active from an early age are modestly associated with being active as adults,' says Craig Williams, director of the Child Health and Exercise Research Centre at the University of Exeter. Exercise as a child also has a significant impact on the development of bones, which shape the body. The more dense the bones are when young, the lower the risk of fractures and osteoporosis later in life.
'This idea is like 'putting more bones in the bank as a child,'' says Williams, explaining that it's important to stimulate your bones and muscles by jumping and running around during your growing years. It's also been shown that being healthier at age 18 leads to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks, later in life.
Still, some people question the value of cutting a child's school day by 15 minutes each day. However, a 2016 study by Williams and 23 other child health experts found that 'the time lost to physical activity was meaningful and did not interfere with successful academic performance. Physical activity also promotes brain development and enhances intelligence in young people.'
The fact that the daily mile is done outdoors further enhances its effects. Dr. Rachel Sharman, a sleep researcher at the University of Oxford, says, 'Bright light directly influences and activates the areas of the brain that control wakefulness and cognition.' Exercise also helps regulate the timing of your body's internal clock. Exposure to bright light in the morning can help correct circadian rhythms , which tend to be out of whack when you're young. This helps maintain your body's sleep-conscious rhythm at night, when it's best to get a good night's sleep.
In the six years since its launch, The Daily Mile has been introduced in half of Scotland's primary schools and a quarter of schools in England, as well as in schools in France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Furthermore, the Daily Mile movement is spreading to North America, Africa and Oceania.
In the movie below, Mr. Wiley talks about the significance of the Daily Mile.
The Daily Mile advertisement supported by INEOS and ITV - YouTube
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