Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a twelve-week game-based school intervention on physical fitness in girls aged 12–14 years. Fifty-nine adolescent girls (13.2 ± 0.3 years) were randomly assigned to a group that participated in a game-based after-school program (EXP) or a control group (CON) that participated only in mandatory physical education. The EXP group had the additional program twice a week after school for 40 min/session for 12 weeks alongside with regular physical education classes. The EXP program consisted mainly of small-sided games of football, basketball, handball, and volleyball. The assessment included a physical fitness assessment with standardized tests for this age group: countermovement jump (CMJ), standing long jump, bent arm hang, overhead medicine ball throw, sit-ups for 30 s, and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 Test (YYIRT1). There was a significant interaction between group (EXP vs. CON) and time (pre-test vs. post-test) for the standing long jump (p < 0.001), overhead medicine ball throw (p < 0.001), 30 s sit-ups (p = 0.030), bent- arm hang (p < 0.001), and YYIRT1 score (p = 0.004). In addition, a significant main effect was found for time in countermovement jump (p < 0.001). The results of this study indicate that the after-school game-based intervention significantly improves adolescent girls' physical fitness compared to regular physical education. The overall conclusion suggests that as few as two additional sessions per week are sufficient to produce significant changes in physical fitness in adolescent girls.
Highlights
Physical fitness is considered as one of the most important predictor for healthy and active lifestyle [1,2,3,4]
The girls were randomly assigned to a group that participated in a game-based after-school program (EXP) or a control group (CON) that participated only in compulsory physical education
The current results suggest that a gamebased school intervention is effective in improving aerobic fitness, as YYIR1 performance improved by 10.6%
Summary
Physical fitness is considered as one of the most important predictor for healthy and active lifestyle [1,2,3,4]. The level of physical fitness of children and adolescents has decreased significantly over the years [5, 6]. Consistent participation in physical activities has been shown to be very important in young children and has great fitness benefits in both the short and long term [7]. Some of these are reflected in body composition as well as physical, psychological, and social parameters [8]. More recent recommendations in children and adolescents include vigorous activities and recommending an average of 60 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity across the week for providing health benefits [10]
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