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For all the children who think about giving that physical education class a miss, it may be an error in judgment. A recent study has found that attending physical education classes on a regular basis actually helps children stay fit and meets the recommended hours of physical activity suggested by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

This study was led by David Bassett, professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, funded by the nonprofit organization, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

If physical education in school is made mandatory then the physical activity of the students will increase by 23 minutes per day, which makes up for more than one-third of the physical activity suggested for people of that age.

The recent study has recommended certain changes in the daily routine of the students, which will help them to meet the health guideline stipulations. Daily physical education, activity breaks in between the classes, walking or cycling to school could increase their daily activity time to 58 minutes per day .    

In order to suggest the ideal breakdown of the physical activities, Bassett, along with his colleagues studied the database of 85 researches done in the same field to find out the total activity time the policy changes can result in. They found that making changes in nine general policies in schools and community settings could result in more physical activity time.

The recommended physical activities according to their study were:

• Mandatory daily physical education in school: 23 minutes
• Physical activity breaks in between the classes: 19 minutes
• Using walking or cycling as a mode of transportation: 16 minutes
• Redesigning the park to include more equipments for exercise: 12 minutes
• Introducing physical activity after school: 10 minutes
• The physical education routine change to allow more activity time: six minutes more than the existing routine
• Redesigning school playground to give more opportunity to exercise: six minutes
• Encouraging additional physical activity during break time: five minutes more than the current one
• More access to the parks: one minute

"This study shows that policy-makers have a lot of tools at their disposal to help kids be active. But it also shows that no change alone will be enough. Helping young people reach activity goals will require a combination of strategies." Bassett said in the foundation's news release.