Schoolchildren Empowerment and Resilience through 'Active Breaks'

An active break is an alternative short “lesson” (lasting about 15 min) aimed at improving body awareness, physiological activation, and emotional feelings. Their purpose is to reactivate attentional capability, activate musculoskeletal system, reduce anxiety states, increase self-esteem, and improve individual resilience and classroom climate. The Food Hygiene and Nutrition Service (SIAN) (Prevention Department of Provincial Healthcare Company—ASP Catania) has experimented the “Active Breaks and healthy snack” project in the province’s schools to show how it is possible and pleasant to make small lasting changes to daily habits in order to counteract sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy nutrition; “class well-being” can be increased through classroom active games using “Active Breaks”. In order to monitor and evaluate the progress of the project, specific pre- and post-questionnaires was submitted to the teachers to verify the new knowledge acquired among teaching staff. At the end of the school day, the sixteen-item “Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale” (PACES) questionnaire was given to students and a satisfaction questionnaire was given to the teachers. The preliminary results confirm that it is easier to achieve lifestyle changes in the age groups 3–10, rather than in adolescents (11–14); therefore, it is believed that active breaks in association with the promotion of healthy snacks should preferably be started from kindergarten and primary school. Considering that the project involves children and parents, once the methodology is acquired, it is important to be implemented at home in order to promote the empowerment of the whole family and healthy lifestyles over long periods of time.