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Morgado MC, Sousa M, Coelho AB, Vale S, Costa JA, Seabra A. Effects of "Football and Nutrition for Health" program on body composition, physical fitness, eating behaviours, nutritional knowledge, and psychological status among 7 to 10 years school children. Front Pediatr 2023; 11:1251053. [PMID: 38027281 PMCID: PMC10663241 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1251053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Noncommunicable diseases and obesity are between the major health threat due to consumption of unhealthy foods and limited time spent on physical activities, a situation of particular concern among children. Since children spend most of their time at school, this study intends to investigate the effect of a school intervention program, which combines recreational football and nutrition education, on body composition, physical fitness, physical activity, blood pressure and heart rate, eating behaviours, nutritional knowledge, and psychological status in elementary school children. Methods A total of 67 children, between 7 and 10 years old, were allocated into three groups: the Football Group (FG) which held 2 weekly sessions of 60 min of recreational football, the Nutrition and Football Group (NFG) which held 2 sessions per week of 60 min of recreational football plus 60 min of nutritional education and the Control Group (CG) which maintained its usual curriculum. The intervention lasted 12 weeks. All measurements were collected before and after the intervention. Results Intervention groups significantly (p < 0.05) improved BMI Z-score, rest heart rate, horizontal jump and shuttle test, physical activity level, and psychosocial health. The NFG group significantly decreased (p < 0.05) waist-to-height ratio and blood pressure, and significantly increased (p < 0.05) nutritional knowledge, fruit, and fish consumption. While FG significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the percentage of fat mass and significantly increased (p < 0.05) muscle mass and performance in the 20 m sprint. Discussion The results have shown to improve nutritional status, explosive strength, aerobic and neuromuscular fitness, as well as increase the level of physical activity. The nutritional education sessions contributed to increase nutritional knowledge and to improve the consumption of healthy food groups in a ludic-educational way. The "Football and Nutrition for Health" program was able to induce short-term improvements in several health markers, highlighting the role of the school curriculum in children's health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micaela C. Morgado
- Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Portugal Football School (PFS), Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), Cruz Quebrada - Dafundo, Portugal
| | - Mónica Sousa
- CIDEFES, Universidade Lusófona, Lisboa, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, NOVA Medical School (NMS), Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - André B. Coelho
- Research Center for Sport and Physical Activity (CIDAF), Faculty of Sports Science and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Susana Vale
- Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Porto School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Júlio A. Costa
- Portugal Football School (PFS), Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), Cruz Quebrada - Dafundo, Portugal
| | - André Seabra
- Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Portugal Football School (PFS), Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), Cruz Quebrada - Dafundo, Portugal
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Gerber M, Lang C, Beckmann J, du Randt R, Long KZ, Müller I, Nienaber M, Probst-Hensch N, Steinmann P, Pühse U, Utzinger J, Nqweniso S, Walter C. Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, Weight Status, and Body Composition among South African Primary Schoolchildren. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph191811836. [PMID: 36142108 PMCID: PMC9517541 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Background: Over the past decades, childhood overweight has increased in many African countries. We examined the relationship between sedentary behaviour, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and body composition in South African primary schoolchildren living in peri-urban settings. Methods: MVPA was measured via 7-day accelerometry and body composition via bioelectrical impedance analysis in 1090 learners (49.2% girls, Mage = 8.3 ± 1.4 years). The relationships between MVPA and sedentary behaviour with the various body composition indicators (body fat and fat-free mass [total, truncal, arms, and legs], bone mass, muscle mass, and body water) were tested with mixed linear regressions. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 9.8% and 6.6%, respectively; 77.1% of the children engaged in ≥60 min of MVPA/day. Girls were more likely to be overweight/obese, to accumulate less than 60 min of MVPA/day, and had significantly higher relative body fat than boys (ps < 0.001). Lower MVPA was associated with a higher likelihood of being overweight/obese, higher relative body fat, and lower relative fat-free mass, bone mass, muscle mass, and body water (ps < 0.001). For lower sedentary behaviour, the associations with body composition pointed in the opposite direction. Conclusions: In this South African setting, girls are a particularly relevant target group for future physical activity interventions to prevent overweight/obesity-related non-communicable diseases in later life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Gerber
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +41-61-207-4783
| | - Christin Lang
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Johanna Beckmann
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rosa du Randt
- Human Movement Science, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 7700, Gqeberha 6031, South Africa
| | - Kurt Z. Long
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ivan Müller
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Madeleine Nienaber
- Human Movement Science, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 7700, Gqeberha 6031, South Africa
| | - Nicole Probst-Hensch
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Peter Steinmann
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Uwe Pühse
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jürg Utzinger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Siphesihle Nqweniso
- Human Movement Science, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 7700, Gqeberha 6031, South Africa
| | - Cheryl Walter
- Human Movement Science, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 7700, Gqeberha 6031, South Africa
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