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Physical Activity and Fitness in the Health Promotion of Children...
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Physical Activity and Fitness in the Health Promotion of Children and Adolescents

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2025 | Viewed by 4940

Special Issue Editors

Dr. José Eugenio Rodríguez Fernández

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: physical education; school physical education; healthy physical education; game and recreation; motor skills; psychomotricity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Rubén Navarro Patón

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Facultade de Formación do Profesorado, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27001 Lugo, Spain
Interests: physical activity; physical education; first aid; physical exercise
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Martín Barcala-Furelos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Faculty of Education Sciences, Department of Applied learning, University of Santiago de Compostela, 27001 Lugo, Spain
Interests: physical activity; physical education; physical exercise

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, The World Health Organization has been warning of a serious health problem in the child and youth population derived from the lack of physical activity. The rates of overweight and obesity associated with a sedentary lifestyle are on the rise and, even though mechanisms are in place to remedy it, institutions and families have not quite found a solution to this problem. From early childhood, the foundations must be laid to comply with the recommendations for daily physical activity and, in turn, guide children and young people to practice daily physical activity and take the essential actions to aid and complement the dose of daily physical activity necessary for our younger population.

We are pleased to invite you to send manuscripts will contribute to the field of health promotion from the point of view of physical education. This Special Issue aims to deepen and understand future trends in physical activity and sports in health promotion.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • health interventions from the educational field;
  • sport and fitness as a vehicle for the improvement of health;
  • psychological aspects associated with the improvement of health in children and adolescents;
  • theoretical reviews on physical activity, sports, fitness, education, and health in children and young people;
  • active methodologies that promote physical activity and movement;
  • methods of relaxation, breathing, and mindfulness, which seek to develop physical and mental health; and research on physical activity and health.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. José Eugenio Rodríguez Fernández
Prof. Dr. Rubén Navarro Patón
Guest Editors

Dr. Martín Barcala-Furelos
Guest Editor Assistant

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. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • health interventions from the educational field
  • physical education and health
  • new trends in physical education and healthy sports
  • new methodologies in physical education
  • physical, mental, and emotional health

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

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 216 KB  
Article
Emotional Health: Improving Emotional Intelligence Through Physical Education
by Karen Troncoso-Ulloa, Izaskun Luis-de-Cos, Saioa Urrutia-Gutierrez, Gurutze Luis-de-Cos and Silvia Arribas-Galarraga
Healthcare 2025, 13(19), 2540; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13192540 - 9 Oct 2025
Viewed by 577
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Difficulties in emotional regulation are recognized as a risk factor for a variety of emotion-based psychopathologies, including anxiety and depression. In this context, movement and physical activity have been identified as a key element in preventing these health issues, particularly during [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Difficulties in emotional regulation are recognized as a risk factor for a variety of emotion-based psychopathologies, including anxiety and depression. In this context, movement and physical activity have been identified as a key element in preventing these health issues, particularly during the initial teacher training. This study aimed to analyze the impact of an emotional health physical education program on the Emotional Intelligence of university students studying physical education in Chile. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with experimental and control groups and repeated measures (pre test-post test) was employed. A total of 214 male and female students from two Chilean universities participated and completed the Spanish version of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24). Results: Results confirmed the program’s effectiveness in fostering Emotional Intelligence, revealing statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05) in the dimensions of emotional attention and clarity. Conclusions: These findings suggest that emotional physical education programs can be effective in promoting emotional skills essential for the learning and mental well-being of university students who will later become primary and secondary school teachers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Fitness in the Health Promotion of Children and Adolescents)
16 pages, 562 KB  
Article
Types and Frequencies of Physical Activity Associated with Physical Fitness in Chinese Children and Adolescents: A National Cross-Sectional Study
by Linjie Wei, Zhe Li and Yuliang Sun
Healthcare 2025, 13(19), 2400; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13192400 - 24 Sep 2025
Viewed by 666
Abstract
Background: Rising sedentary behavior and declining physical activity (PA) among youth are major public health concerns. Evidence on how different PA types affect fitness in Chinese children is limited. PA indicators were classified according to the Global Matrix 4.0, an international framework for [...] Read more.
Background: Rising sedentary behavior and declining physical activity (PA) among youth are major public health concerns. Evidence on how different PA types affect fitness in Chinese children is limited. PA indicators were classified according to the Global Matrix 4.0, an international framework for benchmarking PA in children and adolescents. Objective: To identify which PA types and frequencies, based on the Global Matrix 4.0, are most associated with physical fitness in Chinese youth. Methods: Data from 102,942 children aged 9–18 were analyzed. Descriptive statistics summarized demographics, PA levels, and physical fitness rates. Chi-square tests assessed group differences. Binary logistic regression examined associations between PA and physical fitness, adjusting for gender, age, school level, parental education, and urban–rural residence, with cluster-robust standard errors at the school level. Results: Higher frequencies of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE), and organized sports and physical activity (OSPA) were significantly associated with better fitness (p < 0.001). OSPA (OR = 1.23) and MSE (OR = 1.21) showed the strongest associations. Sedentary behavior was negatively associated with fitness (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Regular engagement in MVPA, MSE, and OSPA, alongside reduced sedentary time, promotes physical fitness among Chinese children and adolescents. Policies should support diverse and consistent PA participation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Fitness in the Health Promotion of Children and Adolescents)
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13 pages, 452 KB  
Article
The Association Between Physical Activity and Quality of Sleep Among Nursing Students in Saudi Arabia
by Eman Bajamal, Jori Alotaibi, Danah Balamash, Esraa Alsaeedi, Hanan Ali, Joud Alzahrani, Layan Swat, Ajwan Alamri, Raneem Jundi, Renad Alzahrani and Samar Alharbi
Healthcare 2025, 13(16), 1991; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13161991 - 14 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1013
Abstract
Background: Nursing students usually face excessive academic and clinical demands that negatively impact their sleep quality. Physical activity (PA) has been proposed to enhance sleep, yet few investigations have focused on this correlation within the Saudi environment. The purpose of this research was [...] Read more.
Background: Nursing students usually face excessive academic and clinical demands that negatively impact their sleep quality. Physical activity (PA) has been proposed to enhance sleep, yet few investigations have focused on this correlation within the Saudi environment. The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between PA and sleep quality in Saudi nursing students. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of 554 nursing students from different universities in Saudi Arabia. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to collect data. Snowball sampling was used to recruit the participants through social media. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and inferential tests were employed for the analysis. Results: Most participants were female (85.1%) and aged 18–34 years (95.5%). LPA levels were reported by 59.6% of students, and only 8.2% engaged in VPA. The majority (91%) reported poor sleep duration (<5 h), and 57.4% had poor sleep efficiency. Overall, 86.7% of students experienced poor sleep quality. Gender and GPA were significantly associated with both PA and sleep quality. Female students and those with lower GPAs were more likely to report LPA and poor sleep. Marital status was also associated with higher levels of VPA. No significant associations were found with age, academic year, region, income, or parental education. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between PA and sleep quality (r = 0.192, p < 0.001), suggesting that increased PA is modestly associated with better sleep. Conclusion: The research shows a high rate of poor sleep and low physical activity in nursing students, indicating an alarming health trend. Although PA was linked significantly to better sleep, the modest strength indicates the necessity for multi-component interventions. Structured PA programs and sleep hygiene education should be incorporated into nursing curricula by universities to foster students’ well-being and academic performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Fitness in the Health Promotion of Children and Adolescents)
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17 pages, 1149 KB  
Article
The Relationship Between Smartphone and Game Addiction, Leisure Time Management, and the Enjoyment of Physical Activity: A Comparison of Regression Analysis and Machine Learning Models
by Sevinç Namlı, Bekir Çar, Ahmet Kurtoğlu, Eda Yılmaz, Gönül Tekkurşun Demir, Burcu Güvendi, Batuhan Batu and Monira I. Aldhahi
Healthcare 2025, 13(15), 1805; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13151805 - 25 Jul 2025
Viewed by 961
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Smartphone addiction (SA) and gaming addiction (GA) have become risk factors for individuals of all ages in recent years. Especially during adolescence, it has become very difficult for parents to control this situation. Physical activity and the effective use of free time [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Smartphone addiction (SA) and gaming addiction (GA) have become risk factors for individuals of all ages in recent years. Especially during adolescence, it has become very difficult for parents to control this situation. Physical activity and the effective use of free time are the most important factors in eliminating such addictions. This study aimed to test a new machine learning method by combining routine regression analysis with the gradient-boosting machine (GBM) and random forest (RF) methods to analyze the relationship between SA and GA with leisure time management (LTM) and the enjoyment of physical activity (EPA) among adolescents. Methods: This study presents the results obtained using our developed GBM + RF hybrid model, which incorporates LTM and EPA scores as inputs for predicting SA and GA, following the preprocessing of data collected from 1107 high school students aged 15–19 years. The results were compared with those obtained using routine regression results and the lasso, ElasticNet, RF, GBM, AdaBoost, bagging, support vector regression (SVR), K-nearest neighbors (KNN), multi-layer perceptron (MLP), and light gradient-boosting machine (LightGBM) models. In the GBM + RF model, probability scores obtained from GBM were used as input to RF to produce final predictions. The performance of the models was evaluated using the R2, mean absolute error (MAE), and mean squared error (MSE) metrics. Results: Classical regression analyses revealed a significant negative relationship between SA scores and both LTM and EPA scores. Specifically, as LTM and EPA scores increased, SA scores decreased significantly. In contrast, GA scores showed a significant negative relationship only with LTM scores, whereas EPA was not a significant determinant of GA. In contrast to the relatively low explanatory power of classical regression models, ML algorithms have demonstrated significantly higher prediction accuracy. The best performance for SA prediction was achieved using the Hybrid GBM + RF model (MAE = 0.095, MSE = 0.010, R2 = 0.9299), whereas the SVR model showed the weakest performance (MAE = 0.310, MSE = 0.096, R2 = 0.8615). Similarly, the Hybrid GBM + RF model also showed the highest performance for GA prediction (MAE = 0.090, MSE = 0.014, R2 = 0.9699). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that classical regression analyses have limited explanatory power in capturing complex relationships between variables, whereas ML algorithms, particularly our GBM + RF hybrid model, offer more robust and accurate modeling capabilities for multifactorial cognitive and performance-related predictions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Fitness in the Health Promotion of Children and Adolescents)
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19 pages, 463 KB  
Article
Health Education in the Curriculum of Early Childhood Education in Galicia, Spain: An Analysis of Decree 150/2022
by Ana Gigirey-Vilar, Rubén Navarro-Patón, Santiago Martínez-Isasi and José Eugenio Rodríguez-Fernández
Healthcare 2025, 13(13), 1499; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13131499 - 23 Jun 2025
Viewed by 911
Abstract
Introduction: The entry into force of a new education law (LOMLOE) in Spain introduces a regulatory framework that is committed to Health Education (HE) in the school context. Schools are considered strategic settings for acquiring healthy patterns that can last a lifetime, as [...] Read more.
Introduction: The entry into force of a new education law (LOMLOE) in Spain introduces a regulatory framework that is committed to Health Education (HE) in the school context. Schools are considered strategic settings for acquiring healthy patterns that can last a lifetime, as confirmed by major European organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission (EC). The objective of this study was to conduct an expert consensus analysis of Decree 150/2022, on Early Childhood Education (ECE) curriculum in the region of Galicia (Spain), with regard to aspects related to HE. The analysis focused on issues related to physical, mental/emotional and social health and included comparisons with curricula from other regions of Spain and other European countries. Method: To this end, a panel of four experts (from the fields of nursing and physical education) was assembled to conduct a consensus analysis of the legislative document, using a mixed-method approach that combined the Delphi technique with structured face-to-face consensus meetings. Results: The summary of the final proposal reflects a document aligned with societal needs regarding children’s health while also addressing mental/emotional and social health. Conclusion: The proposal aims to promote the acquisition of healthy lifestyle habits that are sustained over time. However, the success of the document in terms of both content and practical application remains uncertain. Further studies will be needed in the coming years to analyze and provide concrete evidence regarding its outcomes and impact on students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Fitness in the Health Promotion of Children and Adolescents)
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