Intervention With Alternative Sports for Physical and Mental Improvement in Primary School Children

Summary

The objective of this clinical trial is to determine whether a school-based intervention involving alternative sports can improve physical fitness, motor skills, and psychological well-being in elementary school students. The main question to be answered is:

Can participating in a physical intervention involving alternative sports help children improve their strength, speed, endurance, motor skills, and enjoyment of physical activity? For 8 weeks, during physical education classes, researchers will compare an intervention with alternative sports (korfball, flag football, kin-ball, and ultimate frisbee) with the usual classes that students receive according to their study program, to see if alternative sports improve physical and psychological aspects.

Participants must:

* Perform physical and motor tests to determine their initial physical condition
* Complete a questionnaire to determine their level of enjoyment during physical activity.
* Actively participate in an 8-week intervention during physical education classes.
* Monitor their level of physical activity during classes using a device (accelerometer).
* Authorize the use of their first semester grades.
* At the end of the intervention, physical and motor tests will be performed again to assess progress and physical changes.

For eight weeks, researchers will conduct a study in physical education classes to compare two types of teaching: one based on alternative sports (such as korfball, flag football, kin-ball, and ultimate frisbee) and another with traditional school program classes to see if children improve physically and psychologically.

Conditions

• Primary School Students
• Healthy

Interventions

OTHER

Intervention with Alternative Sports (kin-ball, korfball, ultimate frisbee and flag football))

The RENUÉVATE intervention will be implemented by previously trained physical education teachers. It will last for two months, with sessions held twice a week. The sessions will take place during the school day, in physical education classes, and will last 90 minutes. Each two-week block will be dedicated to an alternative team sport (flag football, ultimate frisbee, korfball, and kin-ball). The physical load for each session is as follows: Warm-up (15 min): general mobility and specific exercises to prepare for the sport in question, maintaining an intensity of 50-60% HRmax; RPE 9-11. Main part (65 min): practice of the alternative sport through games and technical/tactical progressions. An intensity of 65-80% HRmax will be prescribed; RPE 12-15, with active breaks between tasks. Cool down (10 min): relaxation, stretching, and group reflection activities with a light intensity \<50% HRmax; RPE ≤ 9.

OTHER

Intervention with regular classes from the school curriculum

The intervention will be implemented by physical education teachers who have been trained in the project's objectives, methodology, and values. The training will include a standardized manual and a two-hour weekly practical session to ensure fidelity in the program's implementation. In addition, weekly monitoring meetings will be held with the research team to resolve questions and ensure consistency across schools.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad Católica del Maule

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Eugenio N Merellano Navarro, Doctor · Universidad Católica del Maule

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

11 Years

Max Age

12 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-04-01

Primary Completion

2026-06-30

Completion

2026-09-12

Countries

• Chile

Study Locations