The impact of school activity space layout on children’s physical activity levels during recess: An agent -based model computational approach

Children’s physical activities are complex and influenced by their intricate environmental and social relationships. This complexity is particularly evident during school recess, where schools often struggle to facilitate moderate to vigorous physical activity among students. Therefore, this study aims to propose an Agent-Based Model (ABM) to investigate the levels, spatial distribution, and duration of physical activity during primary school recess.

Utilizing survey data from 3 Chinese primary schools (N = 801), this research established the parameters for the ABM. Subsequently, ABM was constructed based on a social force model to examine the impact of the evolution of social networks on children’s physical activities during recess. Additionally, the study explored the impact of spatial environmental factors in the activity space on physical activity levels.

Simulation results indicate that the ABM more realistically simulated the situation of students’ choices made for both activity space and physical activity during recess, highlighting the impact of spatial environmental factors on physical activities. The layout of activity spaces, particularly the distance and accessibility between the playground and school buildings, impacts both the intensity and duration of physical activity among students during recess. Furthermore, the study recommends promoting the design of activity spaces to encourage physical activity. The findings of this research provide specific evidence for understanding the factors contributing to children’s physical activity during recess and investigating the impact of activity spaces on physical activity levels. Moreover, the results offer theoretical support for future research on models of children’s physical activity.