Pupils at all 12 Dunedin high schools have participated in the Beats 2 Study, a follow-up on the original in-depth study by a multi-disciplinary research team into impact of the city’s built environment on whether or not young people walk or cycle to and from school, and how active they are in daily life.
A group of 10 pupils from St Hilda’s class 10C told The Star being involved in the research had been an interesting and thought-provoking experience.
Most of the girls were boarders, who walked to and from school each day to their accommodation at Tolcarne House, located about 10 minutes’ walk away. Others took the bus, or were given a ride by parents.
The girls all play sport and describe themselves as "reasonably active", so were looking forward to seeing their results from wearing activity monitors 12 hours a day for seven days.
As with many high school pupils in Dunedin, heavy school bags could be an issue for the girls, as they lugged around books, laptops, drink bottles, sports gear and musical instruments.
Their bags were weighed by researchers as part of the study.
"Carrying a heavy school bag can make your shoulders and back really sore," pupil Chloe Forde said.
Physical Education teachers Monique Grant and Gemma Cowie said their pupils had enjoyed being part of a research project and were keen to learn more about themselves.
"It will be nice for the girls to have the chance to see the data on themselves and to reflect on it," Mrs Grant said.
