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Healthy Lifestyles and Well-Being in Children and Adolescents: Active Breaks,...
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Healthy Lifestyles and Well-Being in Children and Adolescents: Active Breaks, Sports and E-Games in Formal, Informal, and Non-Formal Settings

A Special Issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067) belonging to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 963

Editors

Dr. Francesca D’Elia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human, Philosophical and Education Sciences, University of Salerno, Fisciano, 84084 Salerno, Italy
Interests: physical education; primary school; PE teacher training; faculty development; movement assessment; teaching methods of PE; adapted physical activity; sport education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sara Aliberti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Centre of Physical Education and Exercise, Pegaso University, 80143 Napoli, Italy
Interests: motor learning and teaching; epistemology and scientific identity of exercise and sport sciences; team sports and accountability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Background and history of this topic: Adopting healthy lifestyles is key to maintaining good health and preventing diseases typical of modern society. For this reason, promoting a healthy and active lifestyle is an integral part of national educational and preventive strategies. In this context, schools provide a privileged formal setting for fostering the physical and mental well-being of children and adolescents, including through interventions such as active breaks, which are effective in reducing sedentary behavior and supporting cognitive, physical and socio-emotional functions. However, for these practices to be effective and sustainable over time, the promotion of healthy lifestyles must also extend to non-formal settings, such as sports clubs, and informal settings, such as the home environment, where practices related to e-games and e-sports are becoming increasingly widespread. This evolution calls for new educational and scientific reflections on how to integrate physical activity, sports and digital technologies in a balanced way into young people’s lifestyles.

Aim and scope of the Special Issue: This Special Issue aims to collect theoretical and empirical contributions that analyze the role of active breaks, sports activities and digital technologies in promoting healthy lifestyles and the psychophysical well-being of children and adolescents in the three main educational contexts: formal, non-formal and informal. The intention is to explore how these practices can interact and complement one another, contributing to the harmonious development and overall well-being of younger generations.

Cutting-edge research: Current scientific evidence shows a growing focus on strategies aimed at promoting well-being across the various contexts of young people’s lives, analyzing the multiple aspects related to physical activity, lifestyles and the use of digital technologies. Recent research highlights the need for interdisciplinary approaches capable of understanding the combined impact of sports, physical activity, digital sedentary behavior and engagement in video games, to develop innovative, sustainable and evidence-based interventions.

What kind of papers we are soliciting: We accept quantitative and qualitative experimental studies, systematic reviews and theoretical contributions that offer new perspectives on the proposed topic. We particularly encourage papers that adopt interdisciplinary approaches, analyze the interaction between physical activity and digital technologies or propose innovative educational models and interventions in the various contexts of young people’s lives.

Dr. Francesca D’Elia
Dr. Sara Aliberti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • healthy lifestyle
  • youth sport
  • sedentary behavior
  • digital era
  • school-based interventions

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2517 KB  
Article
Physical Activity, Self-Administered Motor Tests, and Academic Achievement in Lower Secondary School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Tiziana D’Isanto, Felice Di Domenico, Vera Simões, Giovanni Esposito and Sara Aliberti
Children 2026, 13(9), 1255; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13091255 - 16 Sep 2026
Viewed by 155
Abstract
Background: Physical activity is widely recognized as an important determinant of health and cognitive development; however, the association between specific components of motor performance and academic achievement remains incompletely understood. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationships between self-reported physical activity, self-administered motor [...] Read more.
Background: Physical activity is widely recognized as an important determinant of health and cognitive development; however, the association between specific components of motor performance and academic achievement remains incompletely understood. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationships between self-reported physical activity, self-administered motor tests, and self-reported academic achievement in lower secondary school students. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted involving 113 lower secondary school students (mean age: 12 years; 66 males and 47 females). Self-reported weekly physical activity and self-reported Grade Point Average (GPA) were collected using an online questionnaire. Following standardized familiarization during physical education classes, students self-administered the Stork Balance Stand Test, Plate Tapping Test, and Illinois Agility Test, whereas choice reaction performance was assessed individually under standardized conditions using the FITLIGHT Trainer system. Pearson’s correlation analyses, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression were performed. Results: Weekly physical activity showed a strong positive correlation with GPA (r = 0.654, FDR-adjusted p < 0.001) and significant FDR-adjusted associations with upper-limb speed and choice reaction performance, whereas its associations with balance and agility did not remain statistically significant after correction for multiple comparisons. In the multiple regression analysis, weekly physical activity was the only variable independently associated with GPA (β = 0.639, p < 0.001), whereas balance, upper-limb speed, choice reaction performance, and agility were not independently associated with academic achievement after adjustment for age, sex, and school grade. The regression model explained 57.3% of the variance in GPA (adjusted R2 = 0.535; p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this sample of lower secondary school students, self-reported weekly physical activity was independently associated with self-reported academic achievement, whereas the assessed motor performance measures were not independently associated with GPA after adjustment for demographic variables. Given the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported measures, these findings should be interpreted as associative rather than causal. Further longitudinal studies using objective measures of physical activity and validated school-based motor assessment protocols are warranted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Lifestyles and Well-Being in Children and Adolescents: Active Breaks, Sports and E-Games in Formal, Informal, and Non-Formal Settings)
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15 pages, 245 KB  
Article
The Motor Competence of Learning with a Perception-Awareness Approach: A Pilot Study in the Formal Learning Environment
by Rosario Ceruso, Giuseppe Giardullo, Manuele Taleb, Giuseppe Di Lascio and Gaetano Raiola
Children 2026, 13(8), 1019; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13081019 - 31 Jul 2026
Viewed by 384
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Physical activity in primary school is increasingly recognized not only for developing skill-related fitness, but also for promoting well-being, motivation, and awareness of individual abilities. However, studies integrating quantitative performance data with qualitative perceptual data in school settings remain limited. This study [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Physical activity in primary school is increasingly recognized not only for developing skill-related fitness, but also for promoting well-being, motivation, and awareness of individual abilities. However, studies integrating quantitative performance data with qualitative perceptual data in school settings remain limited. This study aimed to explore the associations between objectively measured motor competence and students’ perceptions of enjoyment, motivation, and perceived competence during primary school physical education. Methods: This observational pilot study involved 17 students (mean age: 10.6 ± 0.5 years). The quantitative assessment included the Yo-Yo Test for intermittent endurance and the Sargent Test for lower-limb explosive strength, along with anthropometric measurements (mean height: 1.44 ± 0.09 m; mean weight: 39.9 ± 6.3 kg). A dichotomous (yes/no) questionnaire assessed enjoyment, motivation, perceived competence, and interest in physical activity. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk test, Pearson’s correlation, and the Chi-square test. Results: Significant correlations emerged between height and body weight (r = 0.667; p = 0.003) and between body weight and Sargent Test performance (r = 0.544; p = 0.024). Biological sex was also significantly correlated with body weight (r = −0.562; p = 0.019). The Chi-square analysis showed significant associations between motivation and positive perception of physical activity (p < 0.05), particularly regarding sports participation and peer-related engagement. Conclusions: Despite differences in motor performance, students’ perceptions of physical activity were generally positive. Anthropometric characteristics influenced performance, while motivational and social factors were strongly associated with participation. Integrating performance and perceptual data provides a more comprehensive understanding of psychophysical development during school age. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Lifestyles and Well-Being in Children and Adolescents: Active Breaks, Sports and E-Games in Formal, Informal, and Non-Formal Settings)
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