A 47-Year Comparison of Lower Body Muscular Power in Spanish Boys: A Short Report

Efficacy of school-based interventions for improving muscular fitness outcomes in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The World Health Organization recommends that children should engage in an average of 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day and should perform activities that strengthen muscle and bone at least 3 days a week. Public health professionals as well as pediatric researchers have identified schools as a strategic place to promote muscular strength development. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the efficacy of school-based exercise interventions for improving muscular fitness (MF) in children. Searches were conducted in three databases. Eligible criteria were randomized and non-randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of school-based exercise interventions on MF (i.e. muscular strength, muscular power, and local muscular endurance) in children under 13 years of age. Risk of bias by the National Institutes of Health tool was appraised, and pooled effect sizes (Hedges'g) were calculated using random-effects inverse-variance analyses. Seventeen studies enrolling 1653 children (28% girls were analyzed). Exercise interventions, mostly combined interventions targeting selected domains of MF, were associated with significant moderate increases in local muscular endurance (g = 0.65 95% CI, 0.13 to 1.17, p = 0.020; I²= 85.0%) and muscular strength and muscular power (g = 0.33 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.51, p = 0.001; I²= 59.3%), with higher effects using interventions with ≥3 sessions per week. Our findings indicate that school-based exercise that includes strength building exercises may improve MF in children and, consequently, prepare modern day youth for the demands of exercise and sport activities. HighlightsSchool-based muscle and bone strengthening exercises performed at least 3 days per week may serve to support the development of muscular fitness in girls and boysIntegrative interventions that include a variety of strength and conditioning activities seem to be a promising strategy to promote muscular fitness in school environmentFuture research should standardize assessment methods for use with children in the school context and should include interventions with girlsIt is of interest to a growing number of health care providers, fitness professionals and physical education teachers to encourage participation in well-designed muscle and bone strengthening exercises.

Physical Illiteracy and Obesity Barrier: How Physical Education Can Overpass Potential Adverse Effects? A Narrative Review

Environments lacking in stimuli together with ineffective physical education programs can lead to motor illiteracy, causing several adverse effects that could be worsened by unhealthy weight conditions (e.g., obesity). Obesity can be seen as an actual barrier for children and adolescents, especially for affective, behavioral, physical, and cognitive domains. In this context, condensing what the literature proposes could be useful in order to improve the understanding of the best intervention strategies (i.e., proper physical education programs) to manage the adverse effects of motor illiteracy in relation to the obesity barrier. The purpose of this narrative review is to improve the understanding on how physical education programs can counteract the adverse effects of physical illiteracy and obesity barrier across childhood and adolescence. Proper physical education programs should develop motor competence by fostering an individual’s awareness, self-perception, autonomous motivation, and muscular fitness on a realistic scenario (functional task difficulty related to his/her possibilities) in the attempt to counteract the adverse effects of the obesity barrier. Such programs should be designed without overlooking a proper multi teaching style approach.