AUTHOR=Patti Antonino , Giustino Valerio , Figlioli Flavia , Miceli Matteo , Barca Martina , Drid Patrik , Palma Antonio , Bianco Antonino 

TITLE=The role of school physical education on adolescents' fitness levels during the pandemic period from COVID-19: An observational study of the Italian scientific high school—section sport and physical activity

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1010236

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.1010236

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objectives</title><p>In Italy, in 2013, a new school curriculum with a sport character was established in high schools, called Sports High School (SHS). The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the fitness levels of SHS students who, respecting all the safety rules to limit the spread of COVID-19, practiced physical education (PE) at school with continuity for almost all of 2021, and to compare them with Traditional High School (THS) students; (2) to evaluate as the SHS may have influenced the fitness levels in adolescents.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>This is a case-control study in which thirty participants were enrolled (SHS: <italic>n</italic> = 15; THS: <italic>n</italic> = 15). To assess the fitness levels, the following tests were administered: the Static Baropodometric and Stabilometric Analyses, the Counter Movement Jump (CMJ), and the Handgrip test. All these tests were administered when the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) for COVID-19 allowed the resumption of PE lessons (T0) and 2 months after their resumption (T1).</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Unpaired <italic>t</italic>-test between SHS (T0) vs. THS (T0) showed significant differences between: Handgrip test Dx and Handgrip test Sx (both <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), Surface Sx foot and Surface Dx foot (both <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05), and CMJ (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). These results were also confirmed in T1. The performance analysis between T0 and T1 of both SHS and THS showed improvements in SHS: Handgrip test Dx (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05; <italic>d</italic> = 0.57), Handgrip test Sx (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01; <italic>d</italic> = 0.87), and CMJ (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05; <italic>d</italic> = 0.59). Pearson's analysis of the results of the tests showed significant strong correlations between: Handgrip test Dx and Handgrip test Sx (<italic>R</italic> = 0.959; <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), Handgrip test Dx and CMJ (<italic>R</italic> = 0.881; <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), Handgrip test Sx and CMJ (<italic>R</italic> = 0.893; <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). The same analysis showed significant but moderate correlations between: Surface foot Sx and CMJ (<italic>R</italic> = 0.489; <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01), Surface foot Sx and y-mean (<italic>R</italic> = 0.485; <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01), Surface foot Dx and CMJ (<italic>R</italic> = 0.444; <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>This study is in agreement with the literature showing that the quarantine period and the NPIs for COVID-19 caused a decrease in fitness levels in adolescents. Our results showed that students of SHS recorded higher strength performance both in the Handgrip test and in the CMJ.</p></sec>