Parisa Eslambolchilar edited introduction.tex  over 10 years ago

Commit id: 351b4db4af799b8c0da9aebfeb1d97175e79b340

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Physical activity levels of children in Wales were relatively stable between 2007 and 2010, with only around half (52-55\%) of children reporting 5+ active days per week\footnote{http://wales.gov.uk/docs/statistics/2012/120828sb762012en.pdf}. This means that current interventions are not having the necessary impact.  Reversing the image of the sedentary lifestyle, lifestyle amongst children,  our goal is to engage with young people in the school environment and help them to increase their physical activity levels. We have chosen the school environment because (1) this is where children spend most of their time; and (2) we want to promote active learning, where kids are able to use their school playgrounds as outdoor classrooms. The project entailed a pilot study on using ambient displays to provide visual feedback on physical activity. A class of schoolchildren was monitored with Fitbit activity monitors and their daily physical activity was visualised on a custom ambient display, consisting in part of an LED lighting strip installed in the classroom. Ambient displays (also called glanceable displays) are peripheral, aesthetically pleasing displays of information that support awareness of some data. In addition, video segments describing mission-based activities were shown on tablet devices to the children at the start of each week\footnote{These weekly mission video segments were designed and created by Redhead Consultancy.}.