Author(s): ZHANG, X., FAN, R., JI, L., SUN, J., SHEN, J., HAN, X., Institution: EAST CHINA NORMAL UNIVERSITY, Country: CHINA, Abstract-ID: 1569

INTRODUCTION:
The decline in physical health among children and adolescents—such as obesity, myopia, and scoliosis—has become a major concern for governments worldwide. Globally, approximately one in seven individuals aged 10–19 is affected by mental health problems. Promoting the physical and mental health of adolescents has been identified as a priority issue by the international community. Research indicates that children’s health behaviors significantly influence their future health and lifestyles. Participation in sweat-inducing physical activities is an important way to promote the physical and mental well-being of children and adolescents.
This study aims to investigate, through an intervention, the effects of different types of sweat-inducing physical activities on the health behaviors of junior high school students, and to determine which type of such activity is more effective.
METHODS:
Three classes of junior high school students in China were randomly selected as experimental groups (n = 133), and participated in a 9-week intervention (twice per week), consisting of physical fitness training (n = 45), interdisciplinary physical activities (n = 44), and football activities (n = 44), respectively. Health behavior questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention. Paired-sample t-tests, LSD multiple comparisons and Analysis of covariance were used to compare differences in health behaviors and their sub-dimensions among students.
RESULTS:
After the intervention, health behaviors of students in all experimental groups significantly improved (P < .05). After controlling for pre-test effects, participation in football activities showed superior effects on overall health behaviors (F = 13.939, P < .05), exercise awareness and habits (F = 14.924, P < .05), mastery and application of health knowledge (F = 13.938, P < .05), and environmental adaptability (F = 8.406, P < .05). There was no significant difference among groups in terms of emotional regulation.
CONCLUSION:
All types of sweat-inducing physical activities effectively improved the health behavior levels of junior high school students. However, sport-specific skill interventions were more effective in promoting changes in health behaviors. This suggests that specialized sport skill interventions may be particularly effective. Nevertheless, the impact of other types of physical activities on health behaviors should not be overlooked. Future research will further explore the mechanisms through which different types of physical education classes influence children’s health behaviors and examine their effects across other age groups, providing evidence to support the continuous improvement of students’ physical and mental health development.