This project will focus on the BOKS program, which aims to improve kids' academic performance and overall health using physical activity to jump start children's brains in the morning.
Georgia Hall, Ph.D., will direct a multi-year Physical Activity Study in the Natick Public Schools (Natick, MA) with a special investigation of the BOKS (formerly known as Fit Kidz Get Up & Go) before school physical activity program. The BOKS program aims to improve kids’ academic performance and overall health using physical activity to jump start children’s brains in the morning and better equip them for learning, increasing opportunities for kids to be physically active and fit, and creating healthier habits for children to achieve life-long fitness. Focusing on grades K-2, a team of NIOST researchers will examine and document child-level academic, social, nutrition knowledge, and physical outcomes associated with participation in BOKS over time.