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Purpose <p>To evaluate the effects of a 10-week school-based flag football programme on fitness outcomes in Chinese children aged 9 to 11&#xa0;years.</p> Methods <p>A two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted in a public primary school in Shanghai, China. Children (<i>n =</i> 147) were randomized to either flag football (<i>n =</i> 74; mean age, 9.7 ± 0.5 years; 30 girls) or usual physical education (PE; <i>n =</i> 73; mean age, 9.7 ± 0.5 years; 32 girls). The intervention comprised 60-min sessions, delivered twice weekly for 10&#xa0;weeks. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention: the 20&#xa0;m shuttle run test (laps), estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), the 1-min jump rope test (turns), and the 50&#xa0;m dash (seconds). Primary analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle using multiple imputation and repeated-measures models; subgroup analyses were conducted by sex and baseline weight status. Session intensity was monitored through heart rate (HR) in a subsample.</p> Results <p>Post-intervention data were available for 128 children (87.1%). Compared with usual physical education, the flag football group showed greater improvements in 1-min jump rope performance (between-group difference in change = 7.4 turns; <i>p =</i> 0.03) and 50 m dash time (between-group difference in change = -0.3 s; <i>p =</i> 0.013). No between-group differences in change were observed for 20 m shuttle run performance (0.7 laps; <i>p =</i> 0.32) or estimated VO<sub>2</sub>max (0.19 mL·kg<sup>−1</sup>·min<sup>−1</sup>; <i>p =</i> 0.37). Subgroup analyses revealed the most significant effects in boys with normal weight for estimated VO<sub>2</sub>max and 20 m shuttle run, boys across BMI status groups for sprint performance, and girls across BMI status groups for jump rope.</p> Conclusions <p>A PE-embedded flag football programme effectively improved sprint speed and 1-min jump rope performance. The observed sex- and weight-specific responses suggest the need for differentiated task progression in school-based interventions to maximize fitness benefits.</p> Trial registration <p>Trial registration: ISRCTN registry (Current Controlled Trials), ISRCTN62093106; registered 04 February 2026 (retrospectively registered).</p>

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Impact of a school based flag football intervention on fitness outcomes in Chinese children aged 9 to 11 years: a randomized controlled trial

  • 期刊论文

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月18日

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  • Junyu Wang,
  • Dongning Liu,
  • Yixin Liang,
  • Xinzhao Cao,
  • Shenghui Guo,
  • Jun Wu,
  • Yong Yang,
  • Ting Xie,
  • Kunyi Yang,
  • Jie Zhuang,
  • Xuhui Chen

摘要

Purpose

To evaluate the effects of a 10-week school-based flag football programme on fitness outcomes in Chinese children aged 9 to 11 years.

Methods

A two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted in a public primary school in Shanghai, China. Children (n = 147) were randomized to either flag football (n = 74; mean age, 9.7 ± 0.5 years; 30 girls) or usual physical education (PE; n = 73; mean age, 9.7 ± 0.5 years; 32 girls). The intervention comprised 60-min sessions, delivered twice weekly for 10 weeks. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention: the 20 m shuttle run test (laps), estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), the 1-min jump rope test (turns), and the 50 m dash (seconds). Primary analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle using multiple imputation and repeated-measures models; subgroup analyses were conducted by sex and baseline weight status. Session intensity was monitored through heart rate (HR) in a subsample.

Results

Post-intervention data were available for 128 children (87.1%). Compared with usual physical education, the flag football group showed greater improvements in 1-min jump rope performance (between-group difference in change = 7.4 turns; p = 0.03) and 50 m dash time (between-group difference in change = -0.3 s; p = 0.013). No between-group differences in change were observed for 20 m shuttle run performance (0.7 laps; p = 0.32) or estimated VO2max (0.19 mL·kg−1·min−1; p = 0.37). Subgroup analyses revealed the most significant effects in boys with normal weight for estimated VO2max and 20 m shuttle run, boys across BMI status groups for sprint performance, and girls across BMI status groups for jump rope.

Conclusions

A PE-embedded flag football programme effectively improved sprint speed and 1-min jump rope performance. The observed sex- and weight-specific responses suggest the need for differentiated task progression in school-based interventions to maximize fitness benefits.

Trial registration

Trial registration: ISRCTN registry (Current Controlled Trials), ISRCTN62093106; registered 04 February 2026 (retrospectively registered).