Effects of a Physical Education Program Focused on Improving Physical Fitness in Adolescents Aged 12-14 Years

Physical fitness is a powerful marker of cardiovascular health already at early stages in life. To promote physical fitness enhancement from the school is therefore needed and this is the main aim of the EDUFIT study (EDUcation for FITness).

The participants were randomly allocated to control group (CG), experimental group 1 (EG1) and experimental group 2 (EG2). The CG received 2 physical education sessions/week, the EG1 received 4 physical education sessions/week (volume increased) and the EG2 received 4 physical education sessions/week of high intensity (volume+intensity increased). Several health-related parameters were assessed before and after a 16-weeks intervention: physical fitness (primary outcome), body composition (secondary), and lipid-metabolic profile, ventilatory parameters, blood pressure, and cognitive and academic performance (tertiary outcomes).

The hypothesis of the EDUFIT project was that to double the number of physical education classes will improve physical fitness in adolescents. The confirmation of the hypothesis could have important public health implications.