What school environment characteristics influence the physical fitness of low-income schoolchildren?
Introduction: Physical fitness (PF) is a key health determinant, linked to cardiometabolic risk, cognitive performance, and mental health. Objective: This study examines how school environment characteristics, physical structures, and policies influence PF in children and adolescents from vulnera...
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| Language: | English |
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FEADEF
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Retos: Nuevas Tendencias en Educación Física, Deportes y Recreación |
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| Online Access: | http://207.180.252.49/index.php/retos/article/view/114142 |
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| author | Douglas Eduardo Ferreira Maia Rostand de Souza Lira Filho Tércio Araújo do Rego Barros Igor Rodrigues de Souza Sobral Ana Beatriz Felix Lourenço Nayara Souza de Oliveira Paulo Felipe Ribeiro Bandeira Marcos André Moura dos Santos Thaliane Mayara Pessôa dos Prazeres Rafael dos Santos Henrique |
| author_facet | Douglas Eduardo Ferreira Maia Rostand de Souza Lira Filho Tércio Araújo do Rego Barros Igor Rodrigues de Souza Sobral Ana Beatriz Felix Lourenço Nayara Souza de Oliveira Paulo Felipe Ribeiro Bandeira Marcos André Moura dos Santos Thaliane Mayara Pessôa dos Prazeres Rafael dos Santos Henrique |
| author_sort | Douglas Eduardo Ferreira Maia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Introduction: Physical fitness (PF) is a key health determinant, linked to cardiometabolic risk, cognitive performance, and mental health.
Objective: This study examines how school environment characteristics, physical structures, and policies influence PF in children and adolescents from vulnerable contexts.
Method: A total of 1,359 students (707 boys), aged 5–15 years, from 12 public schools in Lagoa do Carro, Pernambuco, Brazil, were assessed. PF was measured using 20-m shuttle run, handgrip strength, sit-and-reach, standing long jump, 20m-dash and shuttle run tests. School environmental characteristics (e.g., physical structure of school and policies and practices related to physical activity and sports) were also obtained. One-way MANOVAs were performed using PF tests as dependent variables, with age, sex, and body mass index as covariates.
Results: Urban students outperformed rural peers in handgrip strength and standing long jump. Student from schools with courtyard pillars showed better performance in the 20-m dash, shuttle run, and handgrip strength. The absence of physical obstacles and the presence of larger playgrounds (>50 m²) were associated with superior handgrip and SLJ scores. Intermediate-sized playgrounds (30–49 m²) favored 20-m dash performance. Schools offering extracurricular activities, sports programs, or inter-school competitions consistently exhibited higher aerobic endurance, muscular strength, and agility among students.
Conclusion: Physical and policy-driven characteristics of school environments significantly influence PF outcomes in vulnerable youth. Findings highlight the importance of targeted investments in school infrastructure and structured physical activity programs to reduce health and fitness disparities.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-912b42f9ece44407a5fcfd258c6d95f3 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1579-1726 1988-2041 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | FEADEF |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Retos: Nuevas Tendencias en Educación Física, Deportes y Recreación |
| spelling | doaj-art-912b42f9ece44407a5fcfd258c6d95f32025-08-01T01:36:16ZengFEADEFRetos: Nuevas Tendencias en Educación Física, Deportes y Recreación1579-17261988-20412025-07-016610.47197/retos.v66.114142What school environment characteristics influence the physical fitness of low-income schoolchildren?Douglas Eduardo Ferreira MaiaRostand de Souza Lira Filho0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4955-8274Tércio Araújo do Rego Barroshttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5111-1593Igor Rodrigues de Souza Sobral1https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9541-0448Ana Beatriz Felix Lourenço2https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1820-5279Nayara Souza de Oliveira3https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4027-1428Paulo Felipe Ribeiro Bandeira4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8260-0189Marcos André Moura dos Santos5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2734-8416Thaliane Mayara Pessôa dos Prazeres6Rafael dos Santos Henrique7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3912-5559Federal University of PernambucoFederal University of PernambucoFederal University of Pernambuco Federal University of PernambucoRegional University of CaririUniversity of PernambucoUniversity of PernambucoFederal University of Pernambuco Introduction: Physical fitness (PF) is a key health determinant, linked to cardiometabolic risk, cognitive performance, and mental health. Objective: This study examines how school environment characteristics, physical structures, and policies influence PF in children and adolescents from vulnerable contexts. Method: A total of 1,359 students (707 boys), aged 5–15 years, from 12 public schools in Lagoa do Carro, Pernambuco, Brazil, were assessed. PF was measured using 20-m shuttle run, handgrip strength, sit-and-reach, standing long jump, 20m-dash and shuttle run tests. School environmental characteristics (e.g., physical structure of school and policies and practices related to physical activity and sports) were also obtained. One-way MANOVAs were performed using PF tests as dependent variables, with age, sex, and body mass index as covariates. Results: Urban students outperformed rural peers in handgrip strength and standing long jump. Student from schools with courtyard pillars showed better performance in the 20-m dash, shuttle run, and handgrip strength. The absence of physical obstacles and the presence of larger playgrounds (>50 m²) were associated with superior handgrip and SLJ scores. Intermediate-sized playgrounds (30–49 m²) favored 20-m dash performance. Schools offering extracurricular activities, sports programs, or inter-school competitions consistently exhibited higher aerobic endurance, muscular strength, and agility among students. Conclusion: Physical and policy-driven characteristics of school environments significantly influence PF outcomes in vulnerable youth. Findings highlight the importance of targeted investments in school infrastructure and structured physical activity programs to reduce health and fitness disparities. http://207.180.252.49/index.php/retos/article/view/114142Physical fitnessSchool environmentVulnerable populationsYouth |
| spellingShingle | Douglas Eduardo Ferreira Maia Rostand de Souza Lira Filho Tércio Araújo do Rego Barros Igor Rodrigues de Souza Sobral Ana Beatriz Felix Lourenço Nayara Souza de Oliveira Paulo Felipe Ribeiro Bandeira Marcos André Moura dos Santos Thaliane Mayara Pessôa dos Prazeres Rafael dos Santos Henrique What school environment characteristics influence the physical fitness of low-income schoolchildren? Retos: Nuevas Tendencias en Educación Física, Deportes y Recreación Physical fitness School environment Vulnerable populations Youth |
| title | What school environment characteristics influence the physical fitness of low-income schoolchildren? |
| title_full | What school environment characteristics influence the physical fitness of low-income schoolchildren? |
| title_fullStr | What school environment characteristics influence the physical fitness of low-income schoolchildren? |
| title_full_unstemmed | What school environment characteristics influence the physical fitness of low-income schoolchildren? |
| title_short | What school environment characteristics influence the physical fitness of low-income schoolchildren? |
| title_sort | what school environment characteristics influence the physical fitness of low income schoolchildren |
| topic | Physical fitness School environment Vulnerable populations Youth |
| url | http://207.180.252.49/index.php/retos/article/view/114142 |
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