​​​​​​​​Background

Danish children and adolescents are not physically active enough and lead very sedentary lives. Researchers and policymakers believe that increasing physical activity in schools could be a solution. Education outside the classroom appears to provide an opportunity for physical activity while also improving students' school motivation and well-being, with similar or slightly better academic outcomes. EOtC refers to educational activities regularly conducted outside the classroom. In EOtC, the goal of promoting better health and well-being aligns with the school's core mission of learning and comprehensive development.

​Objective

The aim of the project is to investigate the effects of one school year of education outside the classroom (5 hours per week) on the physical activity, school motivation, well-being, and academic performance of children and adolescents. Additionally, it explores which pedagogical activities lead to which effects.

​Method

MOVEOUT will use a cluster-randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of EOtC across 30 schools with one or more classes from grades 4 to 9. The 30 schools will be randomized, with half of the schools selected to have all their interested teachers attend a two-day outdoor school training course in the spring of 2022, while the other half will be offered the course in the spring of 2023. Teachers who attend the course in 2022 will commit to practicing education outside the classroom for five hours a week, spread over 1-2 sessions in the following school year. Teachers attending the course in 2023 will continue with their regular teaching in the school year leading up to their training.

The project is carried out in collaboration with the Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports at the University of Copenhagen, the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen, and the Unit for Health Promotion Research at the Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen.

​Timeline

The project will run from 16th June 2021 to 15th December 2026.

​Funding

The project is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation with DKK 5.36 million.