Enhancing fitness, enjoyment, and physical self-efficacy in primary school children: a DEDIPAC naturalistic study

Background Physical activity (PA) (e.g., sport, physical education) promotes the psychophysical development of children, enhances health and wellbeing, offers opportunities for enjoyable experiences, and increases self-efficacy. Methods In the DEDIPAC framework, we conducted a naturalistic, cross-sectional study to evaluate the effects of a school-based, long-term intervention on fitness (i.e., cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, speed, and finger dexterity), body mass index (BMI), PA levels, sedentary levels, enjoyment, and physical self-efficacy in primary school children. A group of Italian children (41 boys and 39 girls, aged 10–11 years) involved in the project—named “Più Sport @ Scuola” (PS@S)—was compared with a group of children (41 boys and 39 girls) of the same age not involved in the project. Results After a four-year long attendance to the PS@S project, participants reported higher scores of cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, enjoyment, and physical self-efficacy compared to children not involved in the project. Correlation analysis results showed that muscular strength scores correlated positively with BMI, PA levels, and enjoyment. Flexibility of the upper body was positively related to physical self-efficacy, and negatively related to speed and BMI. Conclusions Findings suggest that the PS@S project enhanced fitness level, enjoyment, and physical self-efficacy of children.