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METHODS article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1438555
This article is part of the Research Topic The Role of Physical Activity and Physical Fitness for Brain Function and Structure in Children and Adolescents View all articles

Effects of Video-Guided Active Breaks with Curricular Content on Mental Health and Classroom Climate in Chilean Schoolchildren aged 6 to 10: Study Protocol for a Multicentre Randomized Controlled Trial

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 Escuela de Educación, Universidad de Concepción, LOS ÁNGELES, Chile
  • 2 Centro de Vida Saludable, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
  • 3 Escuela de kinesiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santo Tomás, LOS ÁNGELES, Chile
  • 4 Doctorado en Psicología, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
  • 5 FACULTAD DE EDUCACIÓN, UNIVERSIDAD DE CONCEPCIÓN, Concepción, Chile
  • 6 Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences, Ñuñoa, Chile
  • 7 Physical Activity Sciences Observatory, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile
  • 8 IRyS Group, Physical Education School, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
  • 9 Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
  • 10 Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Body Expression. Faculty of Sport Sciences. University of Extremadura., Caceres, Spain
  • 11 School of Education, University of Castilla La Mancha, Cuenca, Spain
  • 12 Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Conditioning. Faculty of Education, Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception, Concepción, Chile
  • 13 Human Performance Lab, Education, Physical Activity and Health Research Unit, University Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
  • 14 High Altitude Medicine Research Center (CEIMA), Arturo Prat University, Iquique, Chile
  • 15 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
  • 16 Department of Education and Humanities, University of Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile
  • 17 Faculty of Health Sciences, Valencian International University, Valencia, Spain
  • 18 Department of Health Psychology, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain
  • 19 Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez, Santiago, Chile

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    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 work outlines the design, measurements, intervention program, and potential efficacy of the "Active Classes + School Climate and Mental Health" project. This project will assess a 12week 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 indicators. 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 indicators. Methodology: A multicenter randomized controlled trial involving 823000 students from 1st to 4th grade (6 to 10 years old), six schools (three intervention and three control) will be conducted in the Biobío region, Chile. Participants belonging to the intervention group will implement video-guided active breaks 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.Con formato: Inglés (Reino Unido

    Keywords: Español (Chile), Resaltar Con formato: Español (Chile), Resaltar Con formato: Español (Chile) physical exerciseactive break1, Mental health2, school climate32 children, schoolchildren34, physical fitness54, prymayprimary scholsxschool5s

    Received: 26 May 2024; Accepted: 09 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zapata-Lamana, Robles-Campos, Reyes-Molina, Rojas Bravo, Salcedo Lagos, Chávez Castillo, Gajardo, Valdebenito, Arias, Sanhueza-Campos, Ibarra Mora, Reyes, Cristi-Montero, Sánchez Oliva, Ruiz-Hermosa, Sánchez López, Poblete Valderrama, Celis-Morales, Martorell, Carrasco-Marín, Albornoz-Guerrero, Parra Rizo and Cigarroa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Igor Cigarroa, Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez, Santiago, Chile

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.