Physical activity levels during unstructured recess in Spanish primary and secondary schools

Introduction. The goals of this study were: a) to describe sedentary time and different physical activity (PA) intensities during school recess; b) to analyze sex and education level differences; c) to describe compliance with recommended guidelines for recess and; d) to determine the contribution of unstructured recess to PA guidelines. Material and Methods. Two subsamples from Spain participated: one of primary school students (114 girls, 8.77 +/- 1.74 years and 59 boys, 8.47 +/- 1.71 years), and one of secondary school students (100 girls, 12.16 +/- 0.49 years and 116 boys, 12.15 +/- 0.52 years). PA was quantified by accelerometers. Results and Discussion. Significant sex and education level effect was found over the combination of different percentages of PA intensities. All PA intensities except sedentary and light, showed higher values in primary education students. Boys reported higher values in MVPA both in primary and secondary. It was found a significant effect of sex and education level on the contribution of recess to PA guidelines. Conclusions. Interventions should be carried out to encourage PA during recess, especially for girls and secondary school students. Introducción. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron: a) describir el tiempo sedentario y diferentes niveles de intensidad de actividad física (AF) durante los recreos escolares; b) analizar las diferencias según el sexo y el nivel educativo; c) determinar el cumplimiento con las recomendaciones internacionales de práctica de AF para los periodos de recreo; d) definir la contribución de los recreos a las recomendaciones diarias de actividad física. Materiales y Métodos. Participaron dos muestras de alumnos: una de educación primaria (114 chicas, 8.77±1.74 años y 59 chicos, 8.47±1.71 años), y una de educación secundaria (100 chicas, 12.16±0.49 años y 116 chicos, 12.15±0.52 años). Se utilizaron acelerómetros para analizar los niveles de AF. Resultados y discusión. Los resultados mostraron un efecto significativo del género y el nivel educativo en las diferentes intensidades de actividad física. Todas las intensidades, excepto tiempo sedentario y actividad ligera, mostraron valores mayores en alumnos de educación primaria. Los chicos mostraron valores mayores en la actividad física moderada-vigorosa (AFMV). Se encontró también un efecto significativo del sexo y el nivel educativo en la contribución del recreo al cumplimiento de las recomendaciones de AF. Conclusiones. Deberían desarrollarse intervenciones para fomentar la AF durante los recreos, especialmente para chicas y alumnos de educación secundaria

Identifying promising school-based intervention programs to promote 24-hour movement guidelines among children: Protocol for a systematic review

Three key health behaviors, physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB) and sleep (SLP), have been identified by the 24-h framework as movement behaviors. School-based interventions targeting these multiple health behaviors among children have the potential to increase health outcomes. Despite this, the efficacy and sustainability of school-based movement behavior interventions among children has not been evaluated yet. To fill this gap in literature, this systematic review will aim to: (1) Summarize and classify movement behavior strategies used in literature to improve PA, SB and SLP in/from school in children; and (2) measure the effect of movement behavior strategies used in literature to improve PA, SB and SLP in children. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020199154). A systematic search will be conducted between 2010 to 2020 in five databases: Pubmed, Scopus, SPORTDiscuss, The Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Risk of bias and quality assessment will be evaluated and measured according to the recommended tools. This systematic review will provide information about which kind of school-based movement behavior interventions are effective, sustainable and the best to implement in children

Guidance on Dravet Syndrome from Infant to Adult Care: Road Map for Treatment Planning in Europe

Dravet syndrome (DS) is a severe, rare and complex developmental and epileptic encephalopathy affecting 1 in 16'000 live births and characterized by a drug resistant epilepsy, cognitive, psychomotor and language impairment, as well as behavioral disorders. Evidence suggests that optimal treatment of seizures in DS may improve outcomes, even though neurodevelopmental impairments are the likely result of both the underlying genetic variant and the epilepsy. We present an updated guideline for DS diagnosis and treatment, taking into consideration care of the adult patient and non-pharmaceutical therapeutic options for this disease. This up-to-date guideline, which is based on an extensive review of the literature and culminates with a new treatment algorithm for DS, is a European consensus developed through a survey involving 29 European clinical experts in DS. Theis guideline will serve professionals in their clinical practice and, as a consequence, will benefit DS patients and their families

Gender and corporal expression activity in physical education: Effect of an intervention on students’ motivational processes

Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Achievement Goal Theory, the objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an intervention programme on a series of motivational variables in a corporal expression teaching unit. An analysis was also conducted in terms of whether the impact of the intervention would be effective in boys and girls, given the social stereotypes inherent to this type of expression activity. A sample of 224 students, with ages varying from 12 to 14 years old (105 boys, 119 girls) participated in 10 sessions. A quasi-experimental design was carried out, dividing the total sample into two groups: control (n = 115) and experimental (n = 109). The intervention programme was applied in the experimental group via specific strategies based on the TARGET areas. In the experimental group, the results showed significantly higher values in perceived task-oriented climate, autonomy, competence, intrinsic motivation, identified regulation and enjoyment, as well as significantly lower values in ego-oriented climate. The intervention programme proved to be effective in boys and girls and the results were even better in boys. The importance of developing and applying specific motivational strategies in corporal expression activities should be stressed in order for this to have an impact on variables such as motivation and enjoyment in boys and girls, thus achieving more positive experiences

Factors associated with compliance with physical activity recommendations among adolescents in Huesca.

BACKGROUND: Schools have been identified as environments of choice for physical activity promotion. This study examines factors associated with compliance with objectively assessed physical activity recommendations for early adolescents taking part in “Sigue la Huella”, a school-based intervention guided by a social ecological framework and Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002). METHODS: A total of 200 students (108 boys) aged 12-13 years (M = 12.16; SD = ± 0.51), wore accelerometers during a 7-day period and completed a questionnaire. Participants were considered compliant to the recommendations if their moderate to vigorous physical activity, averaged over 7 days, was =60 minutes a day. RESULTS: 57.4% of boys and 9.9% of girls met recommendations. In a mixed logistic regression model, compliance was higher among boys and students attending private schools, and lower for obese students. Compliance was also associated with higher perceptions of physical competence, higher perceptions of autonomy in physical education, greater importance attached to physical education and less sedentary behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Assessed objectively, gender differences in compliance with physical activity recommendations were greater than expected. Self-Determination Theory emerged as a useful framework to identify motivational factors that can be addressed in school-based physical activity interventions and programs for early adolescents

Importancia del apoyo a las necesidades psicológicas básicas en la predisposición hacia diferentes contenidos en Educación Física.

Siguiendo la teori´a de la autodeterminacio´n, el objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la asociacio´n entre la percepcio´n de apoyo a las necesidades psicolo´gicas ba´sicas (i.e., autonomi´a, competencia y relaciones sociales) y la predisposicio´n hacia el contenido (i.e., actitud cognitiva y afectiva) que tiene el alumnado. El estudio fue desarrollado en tres unidades dida´cticas de Educacio´n Fi´sica, donde participaron 77 alumnos en el contenido de fu´tbol sala, 75 en acrosport y 78 en rugby, pertenecientes a 4o de Educacio´n Secundaria Obligatoria. Los resultados de los ana´lisis de correlacio´n y los ana´lisis predictivos sen~alan una relacio´n positiva entre la percepcio´n del apoyo de las tres necesidades psicolo´gicas y la predisposicio´n hacia el contenido que tienen los alumnos, adquiriendo uno u otro mediador ma´s importancia en funcio´n del contenido curricular impartido. En base a ello, se destaca la importancia de apoyar las tres necesidades psicolo´gicas ba´sicas mediante estrategias de intervencio´n que deben ser disen~adas y adaptadas para cada contenido curricular. Todo ello puede redundar en una mayor predisposicio´n del alumnado hacia cada uno de los contenidos curriculares que integran la Educacio´n Fi´sica, suponiendo una mayor adherencia hacia la pra´ctica de actividad fi´sica. Grounded on the self- determination theory, the aim of the study was to analyze the association between perceived support of basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence and relatedness) and predisposition toward the content (i.e., cognitive and affective attitude). The study was developed in three Physical Education teaching units. The sample was comprised of 77 football, 75 acrosport and 78 rugby 4th- year compulsory Secondary Education students. The results of the correlation and predictive analysis indicate a positive relationship between perceived support of the three psychological needs and predisposition to the content. The importance of each psychological need was different depending on the teaching unit. The usefulness of supporting the three basic psychological needs through intervention strategies was highlighted. These strategies should be designed and adapted for any curricular content. This can result in a greater predisposition of students to each of the units that integrate Physical Education. It can also lead to greater adherence to participation in physical activity

Efectos del género en la percepción de apoyo de las necesidades psicológicas básicas en educación física

El rol que ejerce el maestro de Educación Física en el desarrollo óptimo de los procesos motivacionales y en la promoción de la práctica de actividad física de niños y adolescentes es una temática de interés creciente en los últimos años. En este sentido, la adopción de estilos más activos y saludables en el tiempo de ocio constituye uno de los principales objetivos que rigen el curriculum ordinario. Así, siguiendo la Teoría de la Autodeterminación (Ryan & Deci, 2002) el objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar la percepción del apoyo de las necesidades psicológicas básicas (autonomía, competencia y relaciones sociales) de los discentes en las clases de Educación Física, en función del género. En el estudio participaron 158 alumnos de 10 a 12 años (M edad = 10.81, DT = 0.62), 76 chicos y 82 chicas y sus 6 maestros (3 varones y 3 mujeres) de Educación Física (M edad = 39.75; DT = 0.48). Para ello, se midió este antecedente social a través del Cuestionario de Apoyo a las Necesidades Psicológicas Básicas (Sánchez-Oliva, Leo, Sánchez-Miguel, Amado & García-Calvo, 2013). Los resultados señalan que los chicos presentan valores significativamente superiores que las chicas en la percepción de apoyo a la competencia y apoyo a la autonomía. Por tanto, se proponen como implicaciones prácticas que los docentes traten de apoyar los mediadores psicológicos mediante diferentes estrategias de intervención, haciendo hincapié en el género femenino. Para ello, la formación en teorías y estrategias motivacionales parece una de las líneas educativas prioritarias en los planes de formación docente

Soporte de autonomía en Educación Física: Evidencias para mejorar el proceso de enseñanza.

Las experiencias del alumnado en Educación Física están determinadas por la intervención del docente, que puede ejercer su labor desde un extremo controlador hasta otro basado en el soporte de autonomía (Moreno- Murcia, Conde & Sáenz-López, 2012). En este sentido, el presente estudio pretende evaluar la influencia del soporte de autonomía en Educación Física durante una unidad didáctica de orientación deportiva, sobre la autonomía percibida por los alumnos, la diversión y el aburrimiento. Participaron 113 alumnos de 3o de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria de un centro público (M edad = 14.83, DT = 0.72). Las variables estudiadas e instrumentos utilizados fueron el soporte de autonomía a través del cuestionario ASCQ (Conde, Sáenz-López, Carmona, González-Cutre, Martínez & Moreno, 2010) adaptado a la Educación Física, la autonomía percibida a través del factor autonomía de la escala BPNES (More- no, González-Cutre, Chillón & Parra, 2008), y la diversión y el aburrimiento experimentados a través de la escala CDPD (Cecchini, González, Carmona & Contreras, 2004). Los resultados señalan que en este contenido existe una relación directa del “interés en la opinión del alumnado” sobre la diversión y el aburrimiento. Asimismo, la “valoración del comportamiento autónomo” incide sobre la autonomía percibida, y ésta sobre la diversión y el aburrimiento de manera positiva y negativa respec- tivamente. De este trabajo se desprende la importancia del soporte de autonomía generado por el docente y la necesidad de implementar estrategias específicas para cada contenido curricular

Orientaciones para la comunidad científica sobre el diseño, implementación y evaluación de intervenciones escolares sobre promoción de comportamientos saludables

A pesar de los beneficios asociados a la adopción de un estilo de vida saludable, un gran porcentaje de jóvenes no cumple las recomendaciones establecidas para los diferentes comportamientos saludables. Por ello, resulta conveniente el desarrollo de intervenciones basadas en la promoción de comportamientos saludables. Si bien el contexto educativo resulta un entorno ideal para ello, la mayoría de las intervenciones han reportado efectos muy bajos o no significativos, desapareciendo en las medidas de seguimiento posteriores. Los programas escolares multinivel, multicomponente y multicomportamiento se han identificado como los enfoques más prometedores para la mejora de los comportamientos saludables. Sin embargo, debido a la gran complejidad en su aplicación, todavía existen numerosas dificultades y retos en su implementación y sostenibilidad. El objetivo del presente trabajo es aportar ocho orientaciones metodológicas y/o reflexiones para la comunidad científica para mejorar el diseño, implementación y evaluación de intervenciones escolares sobre promoción de comportamientos saludables. Todas ellas vienen avaladas por la literatura científica y por las lecciones aprendidas en la implementación de programas previos. Se espera que este trabajo pueda facilitar a la comunidad científica indicaciones claras y precisas de cómo deben abordarse este tipo de intervenciones, con objeto de favorecer que los programas escolares de promoción de comportamientos saludables sean realmente efectivos. Despite the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle, a large percentage of young people do not meet the established recommendations for these health-related behaviors. Developing multiple health behavior interventions are, therefore, required. Although school has been considered an ideal setting to promote healthy lifestyles in children and adolescents, most school-based interventions reported small or non-significant effects, diminishing over time. Multilevel, multicomponent, and multiple behavior school programs have been identified as the most promising approaches for improving health-related behaviors. However, due to the great complexity in its application, there are numerous difficulties and challenges in its implementation and sustainability. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide eight methodological guidelines and/or reflections for the scientific community to improve the design, implementation, and evaluation of school-based interventions for promoting health-related behaviors. All of them are supported by the research literature and also by the experience developing school-based intervention programs. We hope that this manuscript provide to the scientific community clear and precise indications of how this type of intervention should be addressed in order to maximize the effectiveness of school health interventions

Dissemination, implementation, and evaluation of an effective school-based intervention to promote physical activity in adolescents: a study protocol

Adolescents around the world do not engage in sufficient physical activity and the Spanish context is no exception. Understanding the educational context as a complex system, school-based multi-level and multi-component interventions seem to be an effective strategy to reverse this trend. Moreover, a co-creational approach seems to facilitate the mobilization of community partnerships and the engagement of stakeholders in the intervention process. This study aims to describe the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation process of an effective school-based intervention program in another setting using the replicating effective programs framework and a co-participatory approach. This study will be conducted in two Spanish secondary schools located in the region of Aragon (experimental vs. control school) in a sample of adolescents in the second grade (13–14 years old). To evaluate the effectiveness, different health behaviors such as physical activity, sleep, sedentary time with screens, nutrition, and psychosocial variables will be quantitatively measured at baseline and after the implementation of the intervention. Qualitative methods will also be used to better understand the implementation process and the co-creation approach, as well as to provide insights into the sustainability of the intervention program. The current study has the potential to provide strong information about the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation process of school-based programs to promote healthy behaviors among adolescents