The Effects of the ACTIVE VALUES Program on Psychosocial Aspects and Executive Functions

Acute effects on the psychological perception of university students after participation in the "RegulACTION" workshop for the improvement of emotional health and promotion of an active lifestyle

Introduction

Prospective research in Health Sciences and Sports Sciences warns of the need to design and implement educational program at the different stages of human development, that promote emotional competences, interpersonal competences, an adequate level of healthy physical activity as well as adherence to the Mediterranean diet and a more active lifestyle on a physical and social level. The main objective of the study was to design an intervention program on intra-and interpersonal competences together with emotional education, nutritional education and healthy physical activity, called 'RegulACTION'.

Methods

The preliminary study sample consisted of 11 participants aged 21-28 years (M = 5.00, SD = 8.76) (8 female and 3 males) university students. An ad hoc questionnaire was elaborated to evaluate the participant's perception of the usefulness of the 'RegulACTION' experience and a semi-structured interview of 5 questions to assess their perception, identification of their emotions, awareness of their cognitions, emotions and behaviors in the different areas of their lives.

Results

The descriptive results show that the participants are receptive to continuing training in the regulation of cognitions (thoughts) and emotions to increase their satisfaction in different areas of their lives. Regarding the qualitative results, the participants' perception, collected verbatim, is that they feel the need to apply the knowledge about personal and social emotions, as well as healthy behavior in terms of nutrition and exercise, in their daily lives.

Discussion

The 'RegulACTION' program is designed based on the assessment of the prevalence of mental illness in the young adult and adult population, in line with the literature review in the area of knowledge of the theory of emotions, motivational theories and on the occasion of the development of a workshop organized.

Physical activity interventions in European primary schools: a scoping review to create a framework for the design of tailored interventions in European countries

Introduction

Schools provide a unique environment to facilitate physical activity for children. However, many school-based physical activity interventions have not been effective. We propose a new approach, which allows schools to tailor interventions to their specific context. This scoping review aimed to identify intervention components from previous school-based physical activity interventions to form the basis of a tailored approach in a European setting.

Methods

Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines for conducting scoping reviews were followed. European school-based intervention studies aimed at increasing physical activity in children aged 7-11 years published in English since 2015 were included. Databases searched were Ovid Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science Social Sciences Citation Index, ERIC and British Education Index. Data was extracted on intervention components, context-related factors (geographical location, school size, child socioeconomic status and ethnicity), feasibility, acceptability and cost-effectiveness. A data-driven framework was developed to summarize the identified intervention components.

Results

79 articles were included, constituting 45 intervention studies. We identified 177 intervention components, which were synthesized into a framework of 60 intervention component types across 11 activity opportunities: six within the school day, three within the extended school day and two within the wider school environment. Interventions most frequently targeted physical education (21%), active and outdoor learning (16%), active breaks (15%), and school-level environmewnt (12%). Of the intervention components, 41% were delivered by school staff, 31% by the research team, and 24% by external organizations. Only 19% of intervention studies reported geographical location and only 10% reported school size. Participant ethnicity and socioeconomic information was reported by 15% and 25%, respectively. Intervention acceptability was reported in 51% of studies, feasibility in 49%, and cost effectiveness in 2%.

Discussion

This review offers a first step in developing a future framework to help schools to develop context-specific, tailored interventions. However, there was a lack of reporting of contextual factors within the included studies, making it difficult to understand the role of context. Future research should seek to measure and report contextual factors, and to better understand the important aspects of context within school-based physical activity.

Impact of an Interdisciplinary Educational Programme on Students' Physical Activity and Fitness

Educational initiatives and actions are needed to provide students with skills to create active habits and lifestyles in order to increase the physical activity and fitness levels of young people. The main objective of this study was to analyse the effects of a classroom-based physical activity and life skills programme on students' physical activity and fitness levels. The sample consisted of 65 students in the 6th grade of Primary Education, aged between 11 and 13 years (11.86 ± 0.53), divided into a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG) for convenience and accessibility. This was a quasi-experimental, repeated measures, longitudinal cut-off research design. For 16 weeks, an interdisciplinary educational programme based on a combination of classroom-based physical activity and life skills was implemented. The results showed that the educational programme had a positive effect on students' physical activity levels during school hours, specifically on reducing sedentary time (p < 0.001) and increasing light (p < 0.001) and moderate-to-vigorous (p < 0.001) physical activity. Positive effects were also found on the variables of explosive strength (p < 0.05) and aerobic capacity (p < 0.05) related to physical fitness. In conclusion, interdisciplinary educational programmes based on the promotion of physical activity and life skills could contribute to the development of responsible daily physical activity habits in students to facilitate their transfer to other environments (social and family) outside school.

Pilot Study on Satisfaction in Children and Adolescents after a Comprehensive Educational Program on Healthy Habits

Prospective research in the area of Education Sciences and Physical-Sports Education agree on the need to design and implement educational programs that promote emotional competencies (ECs), interpersonal competencies (ICs), an adequate level of healthy physical activity (NAFS) and a good adherence to the Mediterranean diet (ADM). The main objective of the study is to design an intervention program in intra- and interpersonal competencies together with nutritional education and corporality called "MotivACTION". The sample consisted of 80 primary schoolchildren aged 8 to 14 years (M = 12.70; SD = 2.76) (37 girls and 43 boys) from two schools in the Community of Madrid. An ad-hoc questionnaire was created to assess the participant's perception of the usefulness of the "MotivACTION" educational experience. The program "MotivACTION: Feed your SuperACTION" is designed and implemented based on the development of a workshop organized through the Universidad Europea de Madrid. As the main preliminary results of the pilot study, the schoolchildren who experienced the "MotivACTION" workshop showed high satisfaction with the educational program. They were able to create a healthy menu with the frog chef. They also felt better and happier at the end of it, and they enjoyed practicing physical activity moving to the rhythm of the music while doing mathematical calculations.

Defining sports moral character and clarifying its related concepts

This study examines the concept of sports moral character and clarifies the differences between it and related moral concepts in sports. The research is conceptual and uses the methods of a literature review and logical analysis. Sports moral character is shown to have the characteristics of practicality, growth, and integration. It is a stable moral quality that is gradually formed and displayed in sports practice under the influence of family, school, and social environments. Sports moral character differs in some ways from other related concepts. Sports morality is the objective existence of "reason," to which sports character and sportsmanship are both more applicable than is sports moral character.