FIT FIRST for the Bones - Frequent Intense Training for Lifelong Bone Health

In 2018, the FIT FIRST 10 concept was developed for 6-9 year olds. It included 10 sports, all of which were modified to include both strength and cardio training, but based on sports that you can go to in your spare time, as opposed to many other classic school activities such as roundball, stickball and catch. In 2020, the FIT FIRST 20 concept for 10-12 year olds was developed to include 20 sports, and the FIT FIRST Teen material with more than 20 sports has been released in 2024.

In short, all versions of the FIT FIRST concept are built on the principles of using multiple sports activities modified for the school environment, with a focus on high intensity, high commitment and inclusion. The use of several sports activities that are modified for the school environment can also affect recess and leisure sports, as students are introduced to many fun activities that are easy to organize themselves and/or go to clubs in their spare time.

The implementation of the FIT FIRST concept involves training teachers to deliver the program, which has been developed by experienced staff from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), the Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF) and Team Denmark. These partners have developed 3-6 lessons for each of the sports, all using exercises and activities carried out in pairs or small groups. All the lessons included in the FIT FIRST Teen manual are designed to provide high-intensity strength and cardio training and to be motivating for children to participate, according to self-determination theory.

a) Design: A cluster-randomized trial design is used, where school classes are randomly divided into an intervention group that implements the FIT FIRST training concept, and a control group that continues regular schooling.

c) Practical implementation: Schools on Funen will be invited via e-mails, newsletters from the Danish Sports Confederation and social media, and can sign up with 1-2 classes. All students at the participating schools can participate in the survey. The first 10 schools that agree to participate in the study will be randomized into two arms, intervention and control. The intervention arm will implement 3 weekly 40-minute FIT FIRST Teen lessons over the course of 18 weeks, equivalent to half a school year. The teachers who will be responsible for the teaching are trained on a 6-hour theoretical/practical course and the schools receive an equipment package with balls, cones and vests for use in the teaching. The FIT FIRST intervention contains activities that are common in physical education and movement education and will therefore involve the whole class, including the students who are not test subjects in this study. The workout is designed to have elements of high-heart rate training and elements that stimulate bones and muscles. All exercises are based on sports activities you can do in your spare time.