School-based PE programs are poor nationwide and they need to be potentiated against a rising prevalence of chronic diseases and physical inactivity. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of 40 versus 20 physical education (PE) classes on physical fitness of a cohort of northwestern Italian primary schoolchildren. Methods: 5751 schoolchildren aged 6–11years were studied between November 2017 and May 2018 from 25 primary schools of Lombardy. Pupils underwent either a control group (CON, # = 2553; $ = 2864) or an experimental group (PLUS, # = 158; $ = 176) in which they attended 20 or 40 PE classes, respectively. Sixty-minute classes were delivered once a week (CON) or biweekly (PLUS) by qualified PE teaching assistants through an approximate school semester. Anthropometrics, cardiorespiratory (six-minute walking test, 6MWT), musculoskeletal (standing broad jump, SBJ) and motor fitness (4 9 10 m shuttle run test, SRT) were evaluated at baseline and upon completion of the study. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test was performed. Results: At the end of the study, PLUS group revealed a better dis- tribution of BMI categories (under weight UW Dpost–pre = - 5.4%; normal weight NW Dpost–pre = ? 8.9%; overweight OW Dpost–pre = - 3.6%) compared to controls (UW Dpost–pre = - 0.4%; NW Dpost– pre = ? 1.6%; OW Dpost–pre = - 1%). PLUS children improved almost all fitness performances by a greater extent (6MWT: pre 606.8 ± 104/post 644.5 ± 93.5 m, p \ 0.0001; SBJ: pre 119.1 ± 25.3/post 124.8 ± 25.9 cm, p \ 0.0001; SRT: pre 14.9 ± 2.5/post 13.8 ± 1.9 s, p \ 0.0001) with respect to CON children (6MWT: pre 611.4 ± 102.1/post 623.6 ± 92.4 m, p \ 0.0001; SBJ: pre 116.8 ± 25.3/post 123.4 ± 24 cm, p \ 0.02; SRT: pre 14.8 ± 2.4/post 14.3 ± 2 s, p \ 0.0001). Means and SD. Conclusions: This design confirms the need to implement well- structured, school-based PE programs. Particularly, higher frequency of PE classes is advocated in order to ameliorate health-related physical fitness competence.
Codella, R., Galvani, C., Milani, M., Vandoni, M., Correale, L., Puci, M., Togni, F., Casolo, F., Passi, A., Orizio, C., Alberti, G., Montomoli, C., La Torre, A., Potentiated physical education interventions are effective in ameliorating physical fitness of Italian primary schoolchildren, Abstract de <<SISMES’s 10th National Congress>>, (Messina, Italy, 05-07 October 2018 ), <<SPORT SCIENCES FOR HEALTH>>, 2018; (14): 24-24 [http://hdl.handle.net/10807/131113]
Potentiated physical education interventions are effective in ameliorating physical fitness of Italian primary schoolchildren
Galvani, Christel;Casolo, Francesco;
2018
Abstract
School-based PE programs are poor nationwide and they need to be potentiated against a rising prevalence of chronic diseases and physical inactivity. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of 40 versus 20 physical education (PE) classes on physical fitness of a cohort of northwestern Italian primary schoolchildren. Methods: 5751 schoolchildren aged 6–11years were studied between November 2017 and May 2018 from 25 primary schools of Lombardy. Pupils underwent either a control group (CON, # = 2553; $ = 2864) or an experimental group (PLUS, # = 158; $ = 176) in which they attended 20 or 40 PE classes, respectively. Sixty-minute classes were delivered once a week (CON) or biweekly (PLUS) by qualified PE teaching assistants through an approximate school semester. Anthropometrics, cardiorespiratory (six-minute walking test, 6MWT), musculoskeletal (standing broad jump, SBJ) and motor fitness (4 9 10 m shuttle run test, SRT) were evaluated at baseline and upon completion of the study. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test was performed. Results: At the end of the study, PLUS group revealed a better dis- tribution of BMI categories (under weight UW Dpost–pre = - 5.4%; normal weight NW Dpost–pre = ? 8.9%; overweight OW Dpost–pre = - 3.6%) compared to controls (UW Dpost–pre = - 0.4%; NW Dpost– pre = ? 1.6%; OW Dpost–pre = - 1%). PLUS children improved almost all fitness performances by a greater extent (6MWT: pre 606.8 ± 104/post 644.5 ± 93.5 m, p \ 0.0001; SBJ: pre 119.1 ± 25.3/post 124.8 ± 25.9 cm, p \ 0.0001; SRT: pre 14.9 ± 2.5/post 13.8 ± 1.9 s, p \ 0.0001) with respect to CON children (6MWT: pre 611.4 ± 102.1/post 623.6 ± 92.4 m, p \ 0.0001; SBJ: pre 116.8 ± 25.3/post 123.4 ± 24 cm, p \ 0.02; SRT: pre 14.8 ± 2.4/post 14.3 ± 2 s, p \ 0.0001). Means and SD. Conclusions: This design confirms the need to implement well- structured, school-based PE programs. Particularly, higher frequency of PE classes is advocated in order to ameliorate health-related physical fitness competence.
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