An adequate physical activity level has important effects on cardiovascular health of children. However, the scientific literature suggests that few children meet the physical activity recommendations to obtain these cardiovascular benefits which may have immediate and long term consequences in public health. High intensity interval training (HIIT) has emerged as an effective strategy for improving physical and mental health in children. To note that HIIT can be completed in a shorter period of time and its results in physical health seem to be equivalent to those obtained in longer sessions of traditional aerobic training. However, there is no information about the dose of HIIT needed to obtain significant effects on cardiovascular health of children. The adoption of healthy dietary habits is also important in the prevention of obesity and cardiovascular diseases. School-based programs including physical activity and nutritional education have been recommended as important components of programs aiming to prevent obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
180
Two schools with four classes/groups of 4th degree of children will participate in the pilot study (i.e., age of children 9-10 years old). One of them has two physical education (PE) sessions per week and the other has only one PE session per week. In the school with two PE sessions, two classes will be randomly assigned to HIIT (2 sessions/week) +nutrition group, and two to the nutrition group. Similarly, in the school with one PE session per week, two classes will be randomly assigned to HIIT (1 session/week) + nutrition and two classes to the nutrition goup. Both HIIT and nutritional education sessions will be integrated integrated into the physical education and sciences sessions of the schools. The duration of the intervention will be of eight weeks.
School-based nutritional education on healthy dietary habits
Department of Health Sciences, Universidad Pública de Navarra
Pamplona, Navarre, Spain
Change in cardiorespiratory fitness
20m shuttle run test (Alpha battery)
Time frame: Change from baseline cardiorespiratory fitness at eight weeks
Change in Body fat
Body fat percent measured by bioimpedance
Time frame: Change from baseline body fat at eight weeks
Change in Ankle-brachial index
Automated simultaneous blood pressure measurement
Time frame: Change from baseline Ankle-brachial index at eight weeks
Change in Dietary habits
Food frequency questionnaire and 24h recall
Time frame: Change from baseline Dietary habits at eight weeks
Change in Muscular strength
Handgrip strength and long jump (Alpha battery)
Time frame: Change from baseline Muscular strength at eight weeks
Change in speed-agility
4x10m speed agility test (Alpha battery)
Time frame: Change from baseline speed agility at eight weeks
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