Effects of a Physical Activity Intervention on Physical Fitness of schoolchildren: The Enriched Sport Activity Program

Abstract

Background: Physical fitness in youth is a predictor of health in adulthood. The main objective of the present study was to understand if an enriched sport activity program could increase physical fitness in a population of schoolchildren. Methods: In a sample of 672 children aged 10.0 ± 1.90 years, different motor skills were tested by the 1 kg and 3 kg ball throw (BT), the standing broad jump (SBJ), the 30 m sprint (30mS), the leger shuttle run (LSR), the illinois agility test (IGT), and the quadruped test (QT). Within the controlled-trial, the intervention group (ESA) underwent an additional warm-up protocol, which included cognitive enhancing elements, for 14 weeks while the control group continued with ordinary exercise activity. Results: A significant increase was present regarding the 1 kg and 3 kg BT, the SBJ, the 30mS, and the IGT, while no significant difference was shown regarding the QT and the LSR in the ESA group between pre and post intervention. In the control group, no differences were present for any test except for the QT and the LSR post-test. Conclusion: A 14-week structured physical intervention had moderate effects regarding throwing, jumping, sprinting, and agility in a sample of schoolchildren.

The Effect of an Enriched Sport Program on Children’s Executive Functions: The ESA Program

“…For this reason, the warm-up phase has been selected as the most appropriate exercise unit section for a suitable cognitive stimulation. Moreover, the physical assessment provided through the first phase of the Program has demonstrated its effectiveness also from a physical point of view (Thomas et al, 2020).…”

Effects of the Enriched Sports Activities-Program on Executive Functions in Italian Children

“…This, in line with other studies, demonstrates that the involvement in PA enriched by cognitive stimuli has better effects on EFs compared to PA without this enrichment [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. For these reasons, the ESA-Program guideline could be used in future studies and projects about children’s lifestyles to highlight the importance of a PA during childhood and to prevent sedentary behaviors [ 55 ].…”

New Developments in Physical Education and Sport

“…Thomas et al [ 13 ] performed a randomized controlled trial in several European countries to assess whether an enriched sports activity program could increase physical fitness in a population of schoolchildren. The intervention group performed an additional warm-up protocol, which included cognitive-enhancing elements over 14 weeks, while the control group continued with the standard exercise activity.…”