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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Jan;10(2):e15115.
doi: 10.14814/phy2.15115.

Effects of a physical activity intervention on schoolchildren fitness

Antonio Di Maglie  1 , Santo Marsigliante  2 , Giulia My  2 , Salvatore Colazzo  1 , Antonella Muscella  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of a physical activity intervention on schoolchildren fitness

Antonio Di Maglie et al. Physiol Rep. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

The global prevalence of childhood obesity is high. Obesity main causes are linked to sedentary lifestyles. Increasing physical activity (PA) and reducing sedentary activities are recommended to prevent and treat obesity. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 6-month school PA intervention on obesity prevention and healthy behaviors in school-aged children. Participating students (10-11 years of age) were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. Children in the intervention group (n = 80) participated in a multicomponent PA that included improvement in extracurricular physical activities (with an additional 40 min per day for 5/6 days per week). Children (n = 80) in the control group participated in usual practice. Participants had mean body mass index of 19.7 ± 2.9 kg/m2 , and 33.7% of them were overweight or with obesity at T0. The change in body mass index in intervention group (-2.4 ± 0.6 kg/m2 ) was significantly different from that in control group (3.01 ± 1.8 kg/m2 ). The effects on waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and physic fitness were also significant in intervention group compared with control group (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, there is a significant decrease in overweight or children with obesity in the experimental group (to 17.5%, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that a school-based intervention program represents an effective strategy for decreasing the number of overweight and children with obesity.

Keywords: BMI; children obesity; overweight; physical activity; waist circumference.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interest and they have ethics approval and consent to participate.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Scheme of the participants in the study
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Changes in BMI percentile over time. Box and whiskers representation of body mass index (BMI: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of intervention group (a) and control children (b), recorded at baseline (T0) and at 6 months from baseline (T1, at the completion of the intervention). The sample was also divided according to gender. In this representation, the central box covers the middle 50% of the data values, between the upper and lower quartiles. The bars extend out to the extremes, while the central line is at the median. p‐values were obtained by Student's paired t‐test
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Changes in waist circumference over time. Box and whiskers representation of waist circumference of intervention group (a) and control children (b), recorded at baseline (T0) and at 6 months from baseline (T1, at the completion of the intervention). The sample was also divided according to gender. In this representation, the central box covers the middle 50% of the data values, between the upper and lower quartiles. The bars extend out to the extremes, while the central line is at the median. Those values which are beyond 1.5 times the interquartile range beyond the central box are plotted as individual points. p‐values were obtained by Student's paired t‐test
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Vertical jump performances over time. The children, intervention group (a) and control group (b), were evaluated at T0 and 6 months after (T1, at the completion of the intervention). The sample was also divided according to gender. The data are presented as mean ± SD and significant differences between groups were evaluated by Student's paired t‐test
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Standing broad jump test (SBJ) performance over time. The children, intervention group (a) and control group (b), were evaluated at T0 and 6 months after (T1, at the completion of the intervention). The sample was also divided according to gender. The data are presented as mean ± SD and significant differences between groups were evaluated by Student's paired t‐test
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Rope jumps/min number over time. The children, intervention group (a) and control group (b), were evaluated at T0 and 6 months after (T1, at the completion of the intervention). The sample was also divided according to gender. The data are presented as mean ± SD and significant differences between groups were evaluated by Student's paired t‐test
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