"Students will go to school, perhaps once a week, for group activities like sports".
Most religions recognized this need and set aside one day a week for non-activity, or just being with family and loved ones.
That still puts it at a lower time than PCs, which clock up 9.6 hours of usage a week for the same activities.
This year's gathering was on the campus of Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. Enthusiasts of period dances, who pay $1,000 for a week of activities, are housed in dormitories.
And at Haberdashers' Monmouth school for girls, a week of activities related to the international year of astronomy included cake-baking, circus skills (those astronauts need an A* in hand-eye co-ordination, after all) and the creation of moon buggies and space suits - via more needlework.
A person who met the following criteria was considered adequately active: 3 or more days of vigorous activities a week for at least 20 min per day, or 5 or more days of moderate intensity activities a week for at least 30 min per day, or 5 or more days of any combination of moderate, or vigorous intensity activities a week.
Participants of the control group will come together three times a week for tea or other sedentary activities to control for possible positive effects of social interaction.
The control participants met in groups twice a week for 50 60 min and the activities were led by occupational therapists (n = 11), nursing staff (n = 5), volunteers (n = 1) or activity-leader (n = 1).
In order to preclude that the effects arise only from the intensified social contacts during intervention, the control group within a residency will come together three times a week for tea or other sedentary activities, e.g. watching television.
