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Promotion of Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents from the...
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Promotion of Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents from the School Setting

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 May 2025) | Viewed by 768

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Adrián Mateo-Orcajada

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Sport, Catholic University San Antonio of Murcia (UCAM), Av. De los Jerónimos, 135, 30107 Murcia, Spain
Interests: promotion of physical activity; adolescent population; new technologies to promote physical activity; body composition; physical condition; psychological state
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Raquel Vaquero-Cristobal

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Group Movement Sciences and Sport (MS&SPORT), Department of Physical Activity and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: body composition; kinanthropometric measurement; health; adolescent population; physical condition; promotion of physical activity; mobile applications; maturity status
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mario Demófilo Albaladejo-Saura

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Sport, Catholic University San Antonio of Murcia (UCAM), Av. De los Jerónimos, 135, 30107 Murcia, Spain
Interests: maturity status; influence of maturation on adolescent development; body composition; kinanthropometric measurement; physical condition; gender differences

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The promotion of physical activity in children and adolescents has been crucial in recent decades, as it has shown beneficial effects on their health (body composition, physical fitness, or psychological state). Despite the available scientific evidence, few studies are based on the promotion of physical activity in the educational environment, which is the place where children and adolescents spend most of their time. For this reason, this Special Issue aims to collect cross-sectional and longitudinal scientific articles, as well as systematic reviews, showing how the promotion of physical activity in school settings can have a relevant impact on adolescent health. Some examples could be active recesses, the promotion of out-of-school physical activity, or awareness talks on healthy habits and how they impact health.

Dr. Adrián Mateo-Orcajada
Dr. Raquel Vaquero-Cristobal
Dr. Mario Demófilo Albaladejo-Saura
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 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

  • adolescents
  • children
  • educational field
  • promotion of physical activity
  • body composition
  • psychological state
  • physical fitness
  • school
  • out of school

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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18 pages, 504 KiB  
Article
Left Behind in Lockdown: How COVID-19 Deepened the Crisis in K-12 Physical Education
by Da’Shay Templeton, Ruslan Korchagin and Bree Valla
Children 2025, 12(5), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12050603 - 5 May 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has notably disrupted K–12 education globally, significantly impacting physical education and student health outcomes. This qualitative study investigates how the pandemic affected student physical fitness, motivation, and equitable access to fitness opportunities, particularly from the perspective of physical education [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has notably disrupted K–12 education globally, significantly impacting physical education and student health outcomes. This qualitative study investigates how the pandemic affected student physical fitness, motivation, and equitable access to fitness opportunities, particularly from the perspective of physical education teachers. Guided by the Social Ecological Model, the research addresses how intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy factors collectively influenced student physical fitness outcomes post-pandemic. Methods: A phenomenological methodology was employed, utilizing semi-structured interviews conducted via Zoom with eleven K–12 physical education teachers in Ventura County, Southern California. Participants were selected using criterion sampling, targeting educators experienced in teaching before, during, and after the pandemic. Thematic analysis with initial in vivo coding was used to authentically capture participant perspectives, supported by strategies like peer debriefing and member checking to enhance analytical rigor. Results: Findings highlighted significant declines in student physical fitness post-pandemic, including reduced endurance, flexibility, and strength, accompanied by increased sedentary behaviors. Teachers reported pronounced decreases in student motivation and engagement, with heightened resistance to structured physical activities. Socioeconomic disparities deepened, disproportionately impacting economically disadvantaged students’ access to fitness opportunities and nutrition. Additionally, physical education experienced systemic undervaluation, resulting in inadequate resources, inconsistent policy enforcement, and difficulties in accurately assessing students’ fitness levels. Conclusions: This study underscores the urgent necessity for systemic reforms to rejuvenate physical education programs and promote equitable health outcomes. Recommendations include increased funding, improved facilities, reduced class sizes, consistent policy enforcement, and enhanced administrative support. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promotion of Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents from the School Setting)
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19 pages, 689 KiB  
Article
Adolescents’ Assessment of Several Step Tracker Mobile Applications Based on Their Previous Level of Physical Activity
by Nerea Gómez-Cuesta, Adrián Mateo-Orcajada, Lourdes Meroño, Lucía Abenza-Cano and Raquel Vaquero-Cristóbal
Children 2025, 12(5), 554; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12050554 - 25 Apr 2025
Viewed by 284
Abstract
Background: Adolescents’ use of step tracker mobile applications (apps) could be influenced by their assessment of the mobile app used. Objectives: To analyze differences in the dropout rate, app assessment, and problematic mobile phone use based on prior physical activity levels and the [...] Read more.
Background: Adolescents’ use of step tracker mobile applications (apps) could be influenced by their assessment of the mobile app used. Objectives: To analyze differences in the dropout rate, app assessment, and problematic mobile phone use based on prior physical activity levels and the app used. Methods: A study with a quasi-experimental design was carried out with the participation of 240 adolescents, who were further categorized as either active or inactive. The adolescents carried out a 10-week intervention promoted as a part of the physical education curriculum, three days a week, in which they randomly used the Pokémon Go, MapMyWalk, Pacer, or Strava mobile apps after school for cardiorespiratory training. Results: The results showed a higher dropout rate from Pokémon Go in the group of inactive adolescents (p = 0.012). No differences were found in the assessment of apps based on the level of activity of the adolescents, neither overall nor when analyzing this question based on the app used (p > 0.05). As for problematic mobile phone use, only previously inactive adolescents assigned to the Pacer group significantly increased their final score after the intervention (p = 0.044), with no changes being identified in the other groups or apps (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the active adolescents showed a positive relationship between the volume of training and problematic mobile phone use (p = 0.023), specifically with the conflicting use of this device (p = 0.017). Conclusions: The inactive adolescents had a higher dropout rate when using Pokémon Go. There were no differences in app assessment between the active and the inactive participants. However, the active adolescents showed a link between their training volume and problematic mobile phone use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promotion of Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents from the School Setting)
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