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Children
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Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents
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Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2024) | Viewed by 6756

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sabrina Masotti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, FE, ‎Italy
Interests: anthropometry; physical activity; body image

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Physical activity has been associated with numerous health benefits in children and adolescents. Regular physical activity improves bone health, weight status, cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, cardiometabolic health, cognition, self- esteem, and leads to a reduced risk of depression and depressed mood. Physical activity is a tool for maintaining physical and mental balance and is an important issue from a public health perspective. The World Health Organization guidelines recommend at least an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity, mostly aerobic, physical activity across the week for children and adolescents from 5 to 17 years old.

This Special Issue aims to gather scientific evidence that advances our knowledge about strategies and interventions to assess, improve, and promote physical activity in children and adolescents.

Authors are invited to contribute to this issue by submitting original research, review articles, short reports, brief commentaries, case reports, and meta-analysis related to the health benefits of physical activity in children and adolescents.

Dr. Sabrina Masotti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • physical activity
  • body image
  • weight status
  • body composition
  • anthropometry
  • exercise
  • public health
  • health-related intervention
  • mental health
  • exercise psychology

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review, Other

11 pages, 236 KiB  
Article
A Semester of Hatha Yoga Has Comparable Effects to Physical Education for Children in Terms of Physical Activity and Psychosocial Indicators
by Claudio R. Nigg
Children 2024, 11(7), 826; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070826 - 6 Jul 2024
Viewed by 260
Abstract
Background/Objectives: As research on yoga with school children is growing, this study investigated the effects a semester of yoga versus physical education on children’s physical activity and psychosocial indicators. Methods: Physical activity and psychosocial variables were assessed at Time 1 (January/February) and Time [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: As research on yoga with school children is growing, this study investigated the effects a semester of yoga versus physical education on children’s physical activity and psychosocial indicators. Methods: Physical activity and psychosocial variables were assessed at Time 1 (January/February) and Time 2 (April/May) through self-report surveys (n = 157; 63% female, age: m = 10.38, sd = 0.81 years) for the intervention (Hatha yoga classes) and control groups (standard physical education classes). The intervention group was also observed regarding pedometer and System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time data. Results: The results revealed a trend towards an increase for the control and a decrease for the intervention group in stress levels. The pedometer results showed a trend towards an increasing number of steps/min. Skill practice had the greatest increase with time dedicated to that activity. The observation results revealed a significant difference in activity from Time 1 to Time 2. The major differences were decreases in sitting and being very active, and an increase in walking. Conclusions: Given the observation data and our study design limitations, the study results showed similarities between Hatha yoga and physical education in terms of increasing physical activity levels and psychosocial variables; thus, yoga may be a viable alternative to children’s physical education in this regard. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents)
12 pages, 262 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Relationship between Body Image Satisfaction and Physical Activity in Italian Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Investigation
by Sabrina Masotti, Tommaso Piva, Valentina Zerbini, Andrea Raisi, Erica Menegatti, Anselmo Pagani, Costanza Bigoni, Elena Ballarin, Federica De Luca, Luciana Zaccagni, Natascia Rinaldo, Stefania Toselli, Emanuela Gualdi-Russo, Antonio Argentoni, Arli Veli, Gianni Mazzoni and Simona Mandini
Children 2024, 11(7), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070818 - 3 Jul 2024
Viewed by 513
Abstract
Background: Body image perception can significantly influence various aspects of adolescent lives. The study analyzed the relationship between body image satisfaction and sports participation in adolescents, examining various factors that contribute to body image concerns and their implications for sports engagement. Methods: A [...] Read more.
Background: Body image perception can significantly influence various aspects of adolescent lives. The study analyzed the relationship between body image satisfaction and sports participation in adolescents, examining various factors that contribute to body image concerns and their implications for sports engagement. Methods: A total of 237 schoolchildren were recruited from lower secondary Italian schools. Anthropometric characteristics were measured directly. Assessment of body image perception was performed using Body Silhouette Charts for preadolescent children. The Italian version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents questionnaire was administered to assess physical activity (PA) levels at school and during leisure time in the last 7 days. Analysis of variance was used to test differences in PA levels, while multiple regression models were carried out to assess possible predictors of body dissatisfaction. Results: In total, 42.6% of children were not satisfied with their figure and 23.2% were very dissatisfied; among them, the vast majority would have liked to be thinner. The dissatisfaction and satisfaction were similar in boys and girls. The frequency of satisfaction with one’s body image was higher in children who practiced extracurricular sports compared to those who did not. The percentage of dissatisfaction with one’s body image was similar in the two groups, but the frequency of children being very dissatisfied was double in the group that does not practice extracurricular sport (31.2% vs. 17.7%). Body dissatisfaction increases with increasing body mass index in both genders but decreases in children involved in extracurricular sports. Conclusions: Encouraging teenagers to engage in regular physical activity should be a key component of therapies supporting positive body image. This study found a relationship between extracurricular sports and body image satisfaction, suggesting that physical activity protects teenagers’ body image satisfaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents)
14 pages, 683 KiB  
Article
The Rating of Perceived Exertion—Pediatric (RPE-P) Scale: Preliminary Validation
by Brynn LiaBraaten, Stacy Stolzman, Pippa M. Simpson, Liyun Zhang, Taylor Brockman, Nina Linneman, Steven J. Weisman and Keri R. Hainsworth
Children 2023, 10(12), 1906; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10121906 - 10 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1390
Abstract
Physical activity is critical to functional rehabilitation for youth with chronic pain, which may be especially true for those with co-occurring obesity. To facilitate the development of physical activity interventions for youth with chronic pain, the newly developed “Rating of Perceived Exertion—Pediatric” scale [...] Read more.
Physical activity is critical to functional rehabilitation for youth with chronic pain, which may be especially true for those with co-occurring obesity. To facilitate the development of physical activity interventions for youth with chronic pain, the newly developed “Rating of Perceived Exertion—Pediatric” scale was modeled after the widely used pain numeric rating scale-11. This study is an initial evaluation of the scale in a sample of adolescents (n = 157, 13–17 years, 51% female) with four subgroups: (1) healthy controls (healthy weight/no pain); (2) chronic pain/healthy weight; (3) obese (no pain); (4) chronic pain/obese. Participants rated perceived exertion using the new scale and the Borg 6–20 Scale of Perceived Exertion while holding a three-minute yoga pose (Warrior II). In the whole sample, the Perceived Exertion—Pediatric scale showed good concurrent (p < 0.001), convergent (all ps < 0.05), discriminant (p = 0.431), and known-groups validity (all ps < 0.05). The chronic pain subgroup also showed good concurrent (p < 0.001), mixed convergent (ps < 0.001 to 0.315), and good discriminant validity (p = 0.607). Limitations include the restricted age range, lack of diversity, and lack of test-retest reliability. The RPE-P shows promise as an assessment tool for perceived exertion in adolescents with and without chronic pain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents)
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13 pages, 325 KiB  
Article
Sports Practice, Body Image Perception, and Factors Involved in Sporting Activity in Italian Schoolchildren
by Luciana Zaccagni, Luca Rosa, Stefania Toselli and Emanuela Gualdi-Russo
Children 2023, 10(12), 1850; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10121850 - 25 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1062
Abstract
Regular physical activity is generally deemed to positively affect health, but studies on children are scarce. Among the kinds of physical activity, sports practice is the most common and easiest to quantify and report by children. This cross-sectional study aimed to compare the [...] Read more.
Regular physical activity is generally deemed to positively affect health, but studies on children are scarce. Among the kinds of physical activity, sports practice is the most common and easiest to quantify and report by children. This cross-sectional study aimed to compare the two genders and evaluate the association between organized sports practice and body dissatisfaction in a sample of 214 Italian schoolchildren (55.6% males) aged 5 to 12. Body image perception and data on sports practice expectations and facilitators were collected in individual face-to-face interviews; weight and stature were directly measured. Girls tended to be sportier than boys (91.6% of girls vs. 86.3% of boys practiced sports), with an earlier start in sports (5.48 ± 1.47 vs. 5.72 ± 1.38 years) and a greater amount of weekly sports (3.41 ± 2.95 vs. 3.01 ± 2.11 h/week). In both genders, the ideal silhouette was more slender than the feel silhouette, and in girls more than in boys. According to the outcomes of multiple regression models, years of organized sports participation were a significant predictor of the weekly amount of sports in both genders, in addition to the feel weight status minus actual weight status inconsistency score, fun in sports, and parental support only in boys and teacher support only in girls. Children’s needs and interests and sports facilitators should be considered to promote an early active lifestyle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents)
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12 pages, 632 KiB  
Article
Impact of Physical Activity Counselling on Children with Medical Conditions and Disabilities and Their Families
by Hannah C. Cummings, Jordan Merkas, Jenna Yaraskavitch and Patricia E. Longmuir
Children 2023, 10(8), 1293; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10081293 - 27 Jul 2023
Viewed by 930
Abstract
Physical activity counselling can target cognitive-affective participation barriers, but counselling benefits for children with medical conditions/disabilities were unknown. This study investigated successes, challenges, and the impact of physical activity counselling on children and their families. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were completed with 7 patients [...] Read more.
Physical activity counselling can target cognitive-affective participation barriers, but counselling benefits for children with medical conditions/disabilities were unknown. This study investigated successes, challenges, and the impact of physical activity counselling on children and their families. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were completed with 7 patients (2 male/5 female, aged 13–17) and 4 parents who participated in 2–8 weekly counselling sessions (2015–2020). Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim for inductive thematic analyses. Counselling encouraged positive mindset changes (viewing physical activity more holistically, making it “more fun and manageable”, helping them to “learn how to love moving and doing sports”). Participants felt strong support (feeling heard, validated, and provided with “hope… that we can still achieve things… even though it may seem like there’s limitations”). Counselling was viewed positively. The intent to improve active lifestyle attitudes and confidence was reflected in positive, primarily cognitive-affective (motivation for activity, “more general skills of having a positive attitude towards physical activity and the willingness to try new things”) outcomes. More sessions, additional resources to keep, and follow-up after counselling completion were recommended to support behaviour change. Future research should evaluate enhanced counselling services and comparing children who have and have not received such counselling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents)
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Review

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26 pages, 618 KiB  
Review
The Relationship between Physical Activity, Physical Fitness, Cognition, and Academic Outcomes in School-Aged Latino Children: A Scoping Review
by J. P. Marrero-Rivera, Olivia Sobkowiak, Aimee Sgourakis Jenkins, Stefano J. Bagnato, Christopher E. Kline, Benjamin DH Gordon and Sharon E. Taverno Ross
Children 2024, 11(3), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11030363 - 19 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1507
Abstract
This scoping review provides an overview of the relationship between physical activity, physical fitness, cognition, and academic outcomes in Latino school-aged children and identifies areas for future research. A primary search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and ERIC for original-research [...] Read more.
This scoping review provides an overview of the relationship between physical activity, physical fitness, cognition, and academic outcomes in Latino school-aged children and identifies areas for future research. A primary search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and ERIC for original-research articles meeting the inclusion criteria; the search results were uploaded into PICO Portal and assessed by two independent reviewers. Of the 488 initial search results, 50 articles were eligible for full-text review, and 38 were included in this review. Most studies were cross-sectional, conducted in the United States or Chile, and included children 5–18 years old. Overall, the majority of articles reported positive associations between physical activity or physical fitness and cognitive outcomes (n = 11/12; 91.7%), and physical activity or physical fitness and academic outcomes (n = 22/28; 78.6%). In sum, this review provided consistent evidence for higher amounts of physical activity and greater physical fitness to be associated with various positive cognitive and academic outcomes in a school-aged Latino population. This scoping review also elucidated a substantial gap in the research regarding study design, with a discernible lack of interventional efforts. Future studies should test physical activity interventional strategies to optimize cognitive and academic outcomes in school-aged Latino populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents)
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Other

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8 pages, 442 KiB  
Brief Report
Body Dissatisfaction among Young Girls in Recreational Rhythmic Gymnastics
by Belén Portas Nuñez, Miguel Adriano Sanchez-Lastra, José C. Diz and Carlos Ayán Pérez
Children 2024, 11(6), 696; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11060696 - 6 Jun 2024
Viewed by 460
Abstract
Body dissatisfaction is commonly associated with rhythmic gymnastics (RG) practice, but limited research exists on the prevalence of this issue among recreational level practitioners. This study examines body image dissatisfaction among young girls practicing RG recreationally. A total of 88 girls between six [...] Read more.
Body dissatisfaction is commonly associated with rhythmic gymnastics (RG) practice, but limited research exists on the prevalence of this issue among recreational level practitioners. This study examines body image dissatisfaction among young girls practicing RG recreationally. A total of 88 girls between six and eleven years of age, who participate in RG as an extracurricular activity, were measured and completed the Stunkard pictogram. To create a control group, 88 girls who did not practice RG were also recruited and matched to the gymnasts by age. Results revealed that the mean body mass index values in both groups were within the normal weight range. The mean score for body dissatisfaction was similar between the two groups, with slightly positive values (RG = 0.94; CG = 1.06). The Mann–Whitney U test showed that there was no significant difference in the ratings of actual body size, ideal body size, and body dissatisfaction between the RG and control groups. These findings suggest that practicing RG at a young age is not associated with body dissatisfaction among girls. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents)
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