Abstract
We evaluated effects of the school-based intervention "FIFA 11 for Health" for Europe on health and fitness profile in 10- to 12-year-old Faroese schoolchildren. 392 fifth-grade children were randomized into a control group (CG: n=100, 11.1±0.3years, 149.0±6.7cm, 42.4±10.2kg) and an intervention group (IG: n=292, 11.1±0.3years, 150.6±6.9cm, 44.2±9.4kg). IG underwent an 11-week intervention in which 2 weekly sessions of 45minutes were included in the school curriculum focusing on health aspects, football skills, and 3v3 small-sided games. CG continued with their regular activities. Body composition, blood pressure, and resting heart rate, as well as Yo-Yo intermittent recovery children's test (YYIR1C) performance, horizontal jumping ability and postural balance were assessed pre and post intervention. Systolic blood pressure decreased more (-2.8±9.9 vs 2.9±8.4mmHg, P<.05) in IG than in CG. Lean body mass (1.0±1.7 vs 0.7±1.6kg), postural balance (0.3±3.9 vs -1.2±5.9seconds) and horizontal jump performance (5 ± 9 vs -5 ± 10 cm) increased more (P<.05) in IG than in CG. YYIR1C performance improved in CG (17%, 625±423 to 730±565m) and IG (18%, 689±412 vs 813±391m), but without between-group differences. A within-group decrease from 23.1±8.4 to 22.5±8.3% (P<.05) was observed in body fat percentage in IG only. In conclusion, the "FIFA 11 for Health" for Europe program had beneficial effects on SBP, body composition, jump performance and postural balance in 10- to 12-year-old Faroese schoolchildren, supporting the notion that school-based football interventions can facilitate health of children in a small-scale society and serve as an early step in the prevention of non-communicable diseases.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that by 2030 deaths from non-c ommunicable diseases (NCD) would have risen markedly globally to be the number one cause of death.[1]
When it comes to sport, team sports such as football are extremely popular, and studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of regular team-sport participation on health profile and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in children, including positive alterations in blood pressure and aerobic fitness,[11,12,13] as well as body fat percentage, blood lipids and plasma insulin in some[14] but not all studies.[15,16]
The principal findings of the present study were that the “Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 11 for Health” for Europe program lowered Systolic blood pressure (SBP), improved postural balance and jump performance and increased lean body mass
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that by 2030 deaths from non-c ommunicable diseases (NCD) would have risen markedly globally to be the number one cause of death.[1]. It has been shown that regular physical activity can reduce the risk of developing overweight, CVD, and type 2 diabetes.[1,10] When it comes to sport, team sports such as football are extremely popular, and studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of regular team-sport participation on health profile and CVD risk in children, including positive alterations in blood pressure and aerobic fitness,[11,12,13] as well as body fat percentage, blood lipids and plasma insulin in some[14] but not all studies.[15,16] As team sports have been shown to induce broad-spectrum physical benefits in children,[12,13,15,16] it is essential to use fitness assessments representing endurance, strength, and postural balance in evaluation of team sports interventions
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