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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Physical Education and Pedagogy
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1448784

Optimizing Athletic Engagement and Performance of Obese Students: An Adaptive Approach through Basketball in Physical Education

Provisionally accepted
Oumayma Slimi Oumayma Slimi 1*Antonella Muscella Antonella Muscella 2Santo Marsigliante Santo Marsigliante 2Mourad Bahloul Mourad Bahloul 1,3
  • 1 University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
  • 2 University of Salento, Lecce, Apulia, Italy
  • 3 Higher Institute of Education and Continuing Training (ISEFC), Tunis, Tunisia

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

    This study evaluated the effects of a 7-week adapted basketball program on the performance and athletic engagement of students with obesity. 62 students with obesity (23 boys, 39 girls, aged 15-17) were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG, n=30; 11 boys, 19 girls) that participated in adapted basketball sessions or a control group (CG, n=32; 12 boys, 20 girls) that attended standard basketball lessons. Both groups took part in 52-minute sessions held twice a week. Before and after the intervention, students' perceptions of physical education sessions were assessed using a questionnaire. Additionally, athletic performances were evaluated during the final matches. EG girls and boys experienced significant increases in interest in participation and motivation (p<0.05), significant decreases in perceived exercise difficulty (p<0.001), and significant improvements in perceived competence (p<0.001). Perceived fitness level increased significantly only in EG girls after the adapted basketball program (p=0.013). In contrast, no significant differences were observed in the CG before and after the intervention for any of the parameters. Statistical analysis revealed that the EG had more successful shots and fewer missed shots (girls: p=0.0004 and p=0.033; boys: p=0.012 and p=0.046) and more successful passes with fewer failed passes compared to the CG (p=0.032, η² = 0.042). This study demonstrated that tailored physical education classes can effectively enhance athletic engagement and performance among students with obesity. These classes not only serve as a preventive measure against obesity but also promote the inclusion of adolescents with obesity.

    Keywords: Obesity, Physical Education, Basketball, Adaptive approach, adolescents

    Received: 22 Jun 2024; Accepted: 11 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Slimi, Muscella, Marsigliante and Bahloul. 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: Oumayma Slimi, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia

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