IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i17p6067-d401710.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Physical Activity Habits and Well-Being among 6-Year-Old Children: The “Improving Umbrian Kids’ Healthy Lifestyle”, an Uncontrolled Pilot Study Project

Author

Listed:
  • Roberto Pippi

    (Centro Universitario Ricerca Interdipartimentale Attività Motoria (C.U.R.I.A.MO.), Healthy Lifestyle Institute, University of Perugia, Via Giuseppe Bambagioni 19, 06126 Perugia, Italy)

  • Livia Buratta

    (Department of Philosophy, Social, Human and Educational Sciences, University of Perugia, Piazza G. Ermini 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy)

  • Alessandro Germani

    (Department of Philosophy, Social, Human and Educational Sciences, University of Perugia, Piazza G. Ermini 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy)

  • Carmine Giuseppe Fanelli

    (Centro Universitario Ricerca Interdipartimentale Attività Motoria (C.U.R.I.A.MO.), Healthy Lifestyle Institute, University of Perugia, Via Giuseppe Bambagioni 19, 06126 Perugia, Italy)

  • Claudia Mazzeschi

    (Department of Philosophy, Social, Human and Educational Sciences, University of Perugia, Piazza G. Ermini 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy)

Abstract

There is evidence that promoting physical activity programs and decreasing sedentary behavior is a potential strategy for improving health-outcomes, peer relationships and social/emotional well-being in at-risk youth. The World Health Organization recommends enhancing physical education and school-based programs with multi-component and evidence-based assessment methodology. In Umbria (Italy) an uncontrolled pilot study project referred to as “Improving Umbrian kids’ healthy lifestyle” was implemented as a systemic school-based intervention directed at 6-year-old primary school children. The intervention applied a consolidated assessment methodology developed by the C.U.R.I.A.Mo. and Eurobis projects that inserted two hours per week of physical education activity into the school curriculum, structured and supervised by specialists with Exercise and Sport Science degrees, for eight months (from October to June) of the school year. We measured anthropometric values (BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio index) with objective tools. Moreover, we evaluated physical performance variables (speed, strength, and flexibility) using standard tests. Additionally, self-report measures (measured physical activity during the week, sedentary habits, and psychological well-being) were assessed using validated questionnaires. We observed a significant decrease in waist to height ratio, and improvements in physical performance values and self-report questionnaire measures. Our study suggests that the promotion of physical activity in the school setting is likely to result in physically, mentally, and psycho-socially healthier primary-school-age children.

Suggested Citation

  • Roberto Pippi & Livia Buratta & Alessandro Germani & Carmine Giuseppe Fanelli & Claudia Mazzeschi, 2020. "Physical Activity Habits and Well-Being among 6-Year-Old Children: The “Improving Umbrian Kids’ Healthy Lifestyle”, an Uncontrolled Pilot Study Project," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-17, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:17:p:6067-:d:401710
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/17/6067/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/17/6067/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. de la Haye, Kayla & Robins, Garry & Mohr, Philip & Wilson, Carlene, 2011. "How physical activity shapes, and is shaped by, adolescent friendships," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(5), pages 719-728, September.
    2. Milena Morano & Claudio Robazza & Irene Rutigliano & Laura Bortoli & Montse C. Ruiz & Angelo Campanozzi, 2020. "Changes in Physical Activity, Motor Performance, and Psychosocial Determinants of Active Behavior in Children: A Pilot School-Based Obesity Program," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-13, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rafael Marfil-Carmona & Manuel Ortega-Caballero & Félix Zurita-Ortega & José Luis Ubago-Jiménez & Gabriel González-Valero & Pilar Puertas-Molero, 2021. "Impact of the Mass Media on Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, Psychological Well-Being and Physical Activity. Structural Equation Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-13, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. HangUk Cheon, 2021. "The Structural Relationship between Exercise Frequency, Social Health, and Happiness in Adolescents," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-14, January.
    2. Tyler Prochnow & Meg Patterson & M. Renée Umstattd Meyer & Joseph Lightner & Luis Gomez & Joseph Sharkey, 2022. "Conducting Physical Activity Research on Racially and Ethnically Diverse Adolescents Using Social Network Analysis: Case Studies for Practical Use," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-16, September.
    3. Prochnow, Tyler & Patterson, Megan S. & Hartnell, Logan & West, Geoffrey & Umstattd Meyer, M. Renée, 2021. "Implications of race and ethnicity for child physical activity and social connections at summer care programs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    4. Eisenberg, Marla E. & Wall, Melanie M. & Larson, Nicole & Arlinghaus, Katherine R. & Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne, 2021. "Do emerging adults know what their friends are doing and does it really matter? Methodologic challenges and associations of perceived and actual friend behaviors with emerging adults’ disordered eatin," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    5. McMillan, Cassie & Schaefer, David R., 2021. "Comparing targeting strategies for network-based adolescent drinking interventions: A simulation approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    6. Linna Luo & Bowen Pang & Jian Chen & Yan Li & Xiaolei Xie, 2019. "Assessing the Impact of Lifestyle Interventions on Diabetes Prevention in China: A Modeling Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-12, May.
    7. Agovino, Massimiliano & Crociata, Alessandro & Sacco, Pier Luigi, 2019. "Proximity effects in obesity rates in the US: A Spatial Markov Chains approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 301-311.
    8. Sabina B. Gesell & Kayla de la Haye & Evan C. Sommer & Santiago J. Saldana & Shari L. Barkin & Edward H. Ip, 2020. "Identifying Social Network Conditions that Facilitate Sedentary Behavior Change: The Benefit of Being a “Bridge” in a Group-based Intervention," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-13, June.
    9. Shelton, Rachel C. & Lee, Matthew & Brotzman, Laura E. & Crookes, Danielle M. & Jandorf, Lina & Erwin, Deborah & Gage-Bouchard, Elizabeth A., 2019. "Use of social network analysis in the development, dissemination, implementation, and sustainability of health behavior interventions for adults: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 81-101.
    10. Milena Morano & Claudio Robazza & Laura Bortoli & Irene Rutigliano & Montse C. Ruiz & Angelo Campanozzi, 2020. "Physical Activity and Physical Competence in Overweight and Obese Children: An Intervention Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-11, September.
    11. Young, Lindsay E. & Fujimoto, Kayo, 2021. "The Co-evolution of online social networks and syphilis incidence among young black men who have sex with men," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    12. Sisi Chen & Walter King Yan HO & Md. Dilsad Ahmed, 2020. "Physical Activity and Its Relationship with Life Satisfaction among Middle School Students: A Cross-Culture Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-11, August.
    13. Brewis, Alexandra A., 2014. "Stigma and the perpetuation of obesity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 152-158.
    14. Davy Vancampfort & Tine Van Damme & Joseph Firth & Mats Hallgren & Lee Smith & Brendon Stubbs & Simon Rosenbaum & Ai Koyanagi, 2019. "Correlates of leisure-time sedentary behavior among 181,793 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 66 low- and middle-income countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-14, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:17:p:6067-:d:401710. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.