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Background <p>Physical inactivity is a significant public health issue among children. As compulsory physical education (PE) alone is often insufficient, structured after-school physical activity (PA) programs have been proposed as a complement. This pilot study evaluated a 12-week after-school PA program under China’s ‘Double Reduction’ Policy, assessing its effects on fitness, body composition, physical activity, and sleep in primary school students.</p> Methods <p>Thirty-four fourth-grade students from a primary school in Beijing were nonrandomly assigned to a control group (CG, <i>n</i> = 16, regular PE classes) or an experimental group (EG, <i>n</i> = 18, regular PE classes plus a structured after-school PA program, 5 times/week, 40&#xa0;min/session) on the basis of their willingness to participate. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention. The primary outcome was the 50&#xa0;m×8 shuttle run. Secondary outcomes included fitness and agility measures, body composition, accelerometer-based physical activity, and sleep parameters. The data were analyzed via covariance (ANCOVA), one-way repeated-measures ANOVA, t-tests, and non-parametric tests.</p> Results <p>Compared to the CG, the EG showed significantly greater improvement in the primary outcome, the 50&#xa0;m×8 shuttle run (mean difference [MD] = -8.48&#xa0;s, 95% CI: -16.02 to -0.93). The EG also demonstrated superior improvements in key secondary outcomes, including the overall physical fitness composite score (MD = -0.49, 95% CI: -0.71 to -0.27), the overall agility composite score (MD = -0.43, 95% CI: -0.81 to -0.05), 50&#xa0;m sprint (MD = 1.72&#xa0;s, 95% CI: 1.20 to 2.23), and body weight (MD = 1.00&#xa0;kg, 95% CI: 0.14 to 1.85). Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), excluding the intervention hours, significantly increased within the EG (F = 8.270, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.01).&#xa0;However, no significant changes of sleep parameters were found from baseline to post-intervention in the EG (all P &gt; 0.05).</p> Conclusion <p>The 12-week structured after-school PA program proved to be a feasible and effective strategy for enhancing physical fitness, improving body composition, and increasing daily MVPA among primary school students within the “Double Reduction” policy context.</p> Trial registration <p>This study was registered prospectively in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) on December 30, 2022 (Registration number: ChiCTR2200067241).</p>

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Effects of a structured after-school physical activity program on physical fitness, body composition, and sleep in primary school students: a pilot quasi-experimental study

  • 期刊论文

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月11日

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  • Guanjiankao Huang,
  • Jinbao Yao,
  • Lina Deng,
  • Peixian Huang,
  • Ping Hong,
  • Xuemei Li

摘要

Background

Physical inactivity is a significant public health issue among children. As compulsory physical education (PE) alone is often insufficient, structured after-school physical activity (PA) programs have been proposed as a complement. This pilot study evaluated a 12-week after-school PA program under China’s ‘Double Reduction’ Policy, assessing its effects on fitness, body composition, physical activity, and sleep in primary school students.

Methods

Thirty-four fourth-grade students from a primary school in Beijing were nonrandomly assigned to a control group (CG, n = 16, regular PE classes) or an experimental group (EG, n = 18, regular PE classes plus a structured after-school PA program, 5 times/week, 40 min/session) on the basis of their willingness to participate. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention. The primary outcome was the 50 m×8 shuttle run. Secondary outcomes included fitness and agility measures, body composition, accelerometer-based physical activity, and sleep parameters. The data were analyzed via covariance (ANCOVA), one-way repeated-measures ANOVA, t-tests, and non-parametric tests.

Results

Compared to the CG, the EG showed significantly greater improvement in the primary outcome, the 50 m×8 shuttle run (mean difference [MD] = -8.48 s, 95% CI: -16.02 to -0.93). The EG also demonstrated superior improvements in key secondary outcomes, including the overall physical fitness composite score (MD = -0.49, 95% CI: -0.71 to -0.27), the overall agility composite score (MD = -0.43, 95% CI: -0.81 to -0.05), 50 m sprint (MD = 1.72 s, 95% CI: 1.20 to 2.23), and body weight (MD = 1.00 kg, 95% CI: 0.14 to 1.85). Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), excluding the intervention hours, significantly increased within the EG (F = 8.270, P < 0.01). However, no significant changes of sleep parameters were found from baseline to post-intervention in the EG (all P > 0.05).

Conclusion

The 12-week structured after-school PA program proved to be a feasible and effective strategy for enhancing physical fitness, improving body composition, and increasing daily MVPA among primary school students within the “Double Reduction” policy context.

Trial registration

This study was registered prospectively in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) on December 30, 2022 (Registration number: ChiCTR2200067241).