Background: The incidence of mental health issues in children is increasing worldwide. In Chile, a recent surge in reports of deteriorating mental health among school populations and an increase in complaints related to poor school climate have been observed. Physical activity, specifically active breaks in the classroom, has shown positive effects on children's health. However, evidence regarding its impact on mental health and school climate in children is limited. Objective: This article outlines the design, measurements, intervention program, and potential efficacy of the Active Classes + School Climate and Mental Health project. This project will assess a 12-week program of active breaks through guided videos with curricular content in the school classroom, and its effects on mental health and school climate as its primary contributions. Additionally, it will measure physical activity, physical fitness, motor competence, and academic performance in students aged 6 to 10 years in the Biobío province, Chile, as secondary contributions. Methodology: It will be performed a multicenter randomized controlled trial involving students in the 1st to 4th grade (6 to 10 years old), encompassing a total of 48 classes across six schools (three intervention and three control) in the Biobío region, Chile. Video-guided active breaks will be implemented through the Active Classes; web platform, featuring curricular content, lasting 5 to 10 minutes and of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, twice a day, Monday to Friday, over a span of 12 weeks. Expected Results/Discussion: To our knowledge, this will be the first study in Chile to evaluate the effects of incorporating video-guided active breaks with curricular content on mental health variables and school climate in schoolchildren. Thus, this study contributes to the scarce evidence on the effects of video-guided active breaks on mental health variables and school climate in schoolchildren worldwide. Additionally, it will provide crucial information about active teaching methodologies that have the potential to positively contribute to the well-being of students, thus addressing the problems of mental health and climate in Chilean schools.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
700
The \"Active Classes + School Climate and Mental Health\" program was crafted following a comprehensive review by the research team on active breaks in the child school population. Based on the findings of this review, the optimal type and duration of intervention, frequency and intensity of the most effective exercises, and video-guided modalities with curricular content for active breaks will be established. Subsequently, a collaborative network was formed, involving researchers from education, sports science, social sciences, medicine, primary school teachers within the Chilean public school system, teams of educational leaders, parents, guardians, pedagogy students, and graduate students. The purpose was to create a team that systematically supports the development of various stages of the project from a multi and interdisciplinary perspective
Universidad de Concepción
Concepción, Región del Biobío, Chile
Universidad de Concepción
Concepción, Región del Biobío, Chile
School climate
School climate scale (ECLIS). 82 items with a four-level Likert-type response format (ranging from all to none).
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at five months
Mental health
This outcome will be measurement with School Self-Esteem Test (SSET) and Self-report of socioemotional well-being. The raw score sum is transformed into a T score according to age norms, categorizing students as follows: normal self-esteem, ≥ 40 points; low self-esteem, 30-39 points; and very low self-esteem, ≤ 29 points.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at five months
Academic performance
The academic performance of the students will be measured using Integral Learning Diagnosis. For this study, only the reading test (2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades) and mathematics test (3rd and 4th grades) were used, measured at the beginning and end of the school year. The grading scale is from 1 as a minimum value to 7 as a maximum value.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at five months
Physical health
This outcome will be measurement using the Alpha Fitness Test battery protocol, which includes measurements of cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and motor condition.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at five months
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