This file contains data from a 2005 fast-response survey titled “Foods and Physical Activity in Public Elementary Schools: 2005.” The study was prompted by concern over the rate of obesity among school-age children and was designed to obtain current national information on availability of foods and opportunities for exercise in public elementary schools. NCES released the results of the survey in the publication Calories In, Calories Out: Food and Exercise in Public Elementary Schools, 2005. Questionnaires and cover letters for the study were mailed to the principal of each sampled school in early March 2005, requesting that the questionnaire be completed by the person most knowledgeable about the availability of foods and opportunities for physical activity at the school. Respondents were encouraged to consult with the school's food service personnel and physical education staff to complete relevant sections of the questionnaire. Respondents were also offered the option of completing the survey via the Web. Telephone follow-up for survey nonresponse and data clarification was initiated in late March 2005 and completed in late June 2005. The final response rate was 91 percent. Respondents were asked about the types of food sold at one or more locations in their schools and in their cafeterias or lunchrooms; the types of food sold at vending machines and school stores or snack bars, and times when foods were available at those locations; food service operations and contracts with companies to sell foods at schools; scheduled recess, including the days per week, times per day, and minutes per day of recess; scheduled physical education, including the days per week, class length, and average minutes per week of physical education; activities to encourage physical activity among elementary students; and the physical assessment of students.
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