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Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents: 2nd...
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Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 March 2025) | Viewed by 3673

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sabrina Masotti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, FE, ‎Italy
Interests: anthropometry; physical activity; body image
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Physical activity has been associated with numerous health benefits in children and adolescents. Regular physical activity improves bone health, weight status, cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, cardiometabolic health, cognition, and self- esteem and leads to a reduced risk of depression and depressed mood. Physical activity is a tool for maintaining physical and mental balance and is an important issue from a public health perspective. The World Health Organization guidelines recommend at least an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity, mostly aerobic, physical activity across the week for children and adolescents from 5 to 17 years old.

This Special Issue aims to gather scientific evidence that advances our knowledge about strategies and interventions to assess, improve, and promote physical activity in children and adolescents.

Authors are invited to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting original research, review articles, short reports, brief commentaries, case reports, and meta-analysis related to the health benefits of physical activity in children and adolescents.

Dr. Sabrina Masotti
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind 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

  • physical activity
  • body image
  • weight status
  • body composition
  • anthropometry
  • exercise
  • public health
  • health-related intervention
  • mental health
  • exercise psychology

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2058 KiB  
Article
Integrating Kata Training into School Education: Effects on Sustained Attention and Cognitive Performance in 8–9-Year-Old Children
by Fuat Gökdere, Erdem Uylas, Fatih Çatıkkaş, Erkan Günay, Halil İbrahim Ceylan and Murat Özgören
Children 2025, 12(2), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12020208 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 807
Abstract
(1) Background: The ability to sustain attention in primary school children aged 8–9 years plays a critical role in maintaining focus for extended periods, enabling them to comprehend and integrate large amounts of information. Enhancing sustained attention during this formative stage significantly improves [...] Read more.
(1) Background: The ability to sustain attention in primary school children aged 8–9 years plays a critical role in maintaining focus for extended periods, enabling them to comprehend and integrate large amounts of information. Enhancing sustained attention during this formative stage significantly improves a child’s capacity to acquire and consolidate new skills and knowledge, laying a strong foundation for academic and cognitive development. (2) Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effect of an 8-week kata training program on attention and its components in 8–9-year-old school-age children, a critical developmental period for attention. (3) Methods: After excluding the participants who gave a low number of correct answers in the pre-test or created a ceiling effect, 43 participants, aged 9.12 ± 0.40 years, were included in this study. This study, conducted during the academic term, included three measurement phases and a familiarization session. Attention parameters were evaluated using the Bourdon–Vos Test, and participants were categorized into Low Performers (LP) and High Performers (HP) based on pre-test scores. The intervention group (INT) underwent kata training thrice weekly for 8 weeks, while the control group (CON) followed their regular activities. Post-training, attention parameters were reassessed using the Bourdon–Vos Test. (4) Results: In the post-intervention analysis, significant improvements in the number of correct responses were observed in both the LP (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = −1.333) and HP (p = 0.001, Cohen’s d = −1.644) groups within the INT group. In the CON group, significant improvement was observed only in the HP group (p = 0.031, Cohen’s d = −0.948). Regarding attention processing speed, significant pre-post improvements were found exclusively in the INT group (p < 0.001). Block-wise analysis revealed significant differences only in Block 1 of the CON group (p = 0.011, Cohen’s d = −0.522). However, in the INT group, significant improvements were observed in both Block 1 (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = −1.200) and Block 2 (p = 0.004, Cohen’s d = −0.678). (5) Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the effectiveness of an 8-week kata training program in enhancing sustained attention and cognitive processing speed among 8–9-year-old children, particularly in low-performing groups. This suggests that integrating structured kata-based motor and cognitive activities into school curricula can serve as a promising strategy for addressing attention deficits and promoting cognitive development during this critical developmental period. Future studies should examine the long-term effects of kata training on attention and related cognitive functions, such as working memory and executive control. Investigating neurophysiological mechanisms through neuroimaging and including diverse age groups with larger samples could further validate these findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents: 2nd Edition)
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Review

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31 pages, 524 KiB  
Review
Reduced Physical Activity and Increased Weight Status in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review
by Luciana Zaccagni and Emanuela Gualdi-Russo
Children 2025, 12(2), 178; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12020178 - 30 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1076
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lifestyles of children and adolescents because of the restrictions imposed to contain the infection. This systematic review examined the possible reduction in children’s and adolescents’ physical activity and changes in their BMI and weight status. Methods: [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lifestyles of children and adolescents because of the restrictions imposed to contain the infection. This systematic review examined the possible reduction in children’s and adolescents’ physical activity and changes in their BMI and weight status. Methods: A systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42024589208) of English-language studies published up to 1 October 2024 in individuals with a mean age between 6 and 18 years that investigated physical activity data before and during or after the pandemic and focused on their BMI and weight status according to age, sex, and country making use of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, identified 1040 possible articles. Results: Following the PRISMA statement, 26 articles with a whole set of 138,737 children and adolescents were enclosed in the review. The majority of included articles were of moderate quality, as determined by the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale adapted for observational studies. The studies found a decrease in PA, an increase in sedentary activities during/after the lockdown, and an increase in BMI and prevalence of overweight and obesity, especially in males and 8–11-year-olds. Conclusions: The interruption or restriction of outdoor physical activities and sports during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a more sedentary lifestyle among children and adolescents, contributing to an overall increase in BMI and obesity, with alarming implications for related health risks and other noncommunicable diseases. Therefore, the adverse effects of restrictive measures should be assessed when implementing public health strategies during pandemics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents: 2nd Edition)
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20 pages, 362 KiB  
Review
Benefits of Physical Activity in Children with Cardiac Diseases—A Concise Summary for Pediatricians
by Alina Costina Luca, Elena Țarcă, Valentina-Georgiana Tănase, Ioana-Alexandra Pădureț, Teodora-Simina Dragoiu, Lăcrămioara Ionela Butnariu, Solange Tamara Roșu, Iulia Cristina Roca and Dana-Elena Mîndru
Children 2024, 11(12), 1432; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11121432 - 26 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1348
Abstract
A physically active lifestyle offers multiple benefits, including lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, lowering body-mass index (BMI), and, last but not least, improving the quality of life. However, there are still disincentives to physical activity in children with heart diseases due to [...] Read more.
A physically active lifestyle offers multiple benefits, including lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, lowering body-mass index (BMI), and, last but not least, improving the quality of life. However, there are still disincentives to physical activity in children with heart diseases due to the high protection of parents and the scarcity of data in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to help pediatricians and pediatric cardiologists identify the type of physical activity allowed in children with congenital cardiac malformations, thus minimizing the risk of major adverse effects, such as acute coronary syndrome and sudden cardiac death. Therefore, we searched various electronic databases, such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Embase. We selected 61 articles published between 2008–2024. These articles included data on pediatric patients, from newborn to adolescent age. We decided to choose the 2008 study because of its focus on the essential role of education in schools regarding physical activity and the prevention of complications from sedentary lifestyles. Subsequently, we analyzed the data available in the literature up to 2024 regarding the type, intensity, and duration of exercise for patients with various congenital heart malformations. The conclusions of this review are presented based on the category of heart disease. There are differences in the free practice of sports in children with cardiomyopathies, atrioventricular block, arrhythmias with a genetic substrate, valvulopathies, and cyanogenic and non-cyanogenic congenital malformations. For example, children with arrhythmogenic right ventricle cardiomyopathy are not allowed to participate in sports competitions, but they can perform low physical activity for 150 min/week—golf, table tennis, and photography. However, it is recognized that a physically active lifestyle correlates with a decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases, body mass index, and an improvement in the quality of life. Children with congenital heart disease who are active have improved their cardiovascular systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents: 2nd Edition)
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