Evidence-Based Public Health Interventions Enhancing Adolescent Physical Fitness and Preventive Pediatric Wellness Through School-Based Programs
Keywords:
Adolescent health, school-based intervention, physical fitness, preventive wellness, pediatric health promotion, mixed-methods, public health education.Abstract
School-age physical inactivity and lack of knowledge about preventive health-care services are serious public health issues. Few health programs currently have evidence-based and a coherent structure for the combination of physical fitness and preventive wellness. The aim of the study is to present a comprehensive intervention for adolescents (12-18 years) which combines physical activity sessions, fitness education, nutrition awareness, preventive health screening and wellness counselling in the school environment. A mixed-methods design was used with public and private school samples (n=480) drawn from a stratified sample and pre-test and post-test evaluations were conducted. Results show a significant increase in BMI (6.9% of reduction), cardiovascular endurance (14.3% of gain), muscular strength (18.7% of increase) and flexibility (21.4% of improvement). Exercise participation increased from 34% to 71%, dietary adherence from 41% to 68%, and the knowledge of preventive healthcare increased by 38.4%. Health screening compliance increased from 61% to 89%. Results indicate that a multi-component school-based program is effective in improving physical fitness and pediatric preventive health in adolescents and can be implemented in a scalable fashion in the public health sector.
