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The "11 for Health in Denmark" in‐school educational football program has shown to have numerous positive physiological and psychological effects in 10‐ to 12‐year‐old schoolchildren. A key part of the successful application of the program, however, has not yet been examined, namely the motivational processes underlying participation and behavioral changes. This study examined such motivational processes (i.e., autonomous motivation, beliefs, and intentions) using the trans‐contextual model (TCM) and investigated if the 11 for Health in Denmark program increased intentions to participate in physical activity (PA) outside of school in 10‐ to 12‐year‐old schoolchildren. Using a web‐based questionnaire, Danish‐speaking schoolchildren (N = 276 [boys, 50.4%]; Mage = 10.44, SD = 0.35) from three schools and seven classes completed TCM‐based questionnaires at three time‐points (weeks 0, 1, and 5) while participating in the 11 for Health in Denmark program. Single‐indicator structural equation modeling was performed to examine goodness‐of‐fit and parameter estimates. A path analysis using maximum likelihood estimation was used to test the direct and indirect effects of the TCM model. The results partly supported a mediation sequence, as we found significant direct effects in eight of 13 motivational variables (β = −0.25–0.83, p < 0.05), indirect effects in one of nine variables (β = 0.15, p < 0.01), but no effects with regard to PA behavior. Findings provide evidence for a motivational link between Danish‐speaking schoolchildren's autonomous and controlled motivation from in school to out of school, and may inform future interventions promoting motivation and participation in out of school PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elite football can make players feel nervous, and personality characteristics, as well as experience, affect how well pressure is handled before important games. Studying the psychological characteristics of female football players can provide information on how well psychological pressure is handled and generate knowledge on how to support players in order to improve performance. Based on a sample of 128 female elite football players from 8 top‐level teams, the present study investigates whether psychological characteristics and football experience/player stus in elite female football players can predict state anxiety before important matches. Our results outline that high age and national team experience negatively predicted most of the trait anxiety subscales. In line with previous research, no psychological differences were found between goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and strikers while starting players revealed to have significantly lower trait anxiety. When measuring before important matches, we found that somatic state anxiety was negatively associated with senior national team experience and positively associated with worry trait anxiety and fear of failure. Cognitive state anxiety was negatively associated with hope for success and positively associated with somatic and worry trait anxiety. Self‐confidence was positively associated with youth national team experience and negatively associated with worry trait anxiety. It can be concluded that psychological characteristics and national team experience are both important for optimal state anxiety before important matches in elite‐level women's football. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "11 for Health in Denmark" concept aims to enhance 10–12‐year‐old schoolchildren's physical activity levels and health knowledge through an 11‐week football intervention and has been shown to induce positive effects in numerous areas. However, little is known about the implementation facilitation of this concept in schools. This case study therefore aims to gain a deeper understanding of the implementation facilitation of "11 for Health" in a Danish 5th grade class comprising 22 schoolchildren (12 boys and 10 girls, Mage 11.86±) and one teacher. Data were derived from multiple school situations using photographs and videos, observations, and informal interviews. Five themes were identified: (1) environmental and organizational factors impacting on the implementation; (2) familiarization with the concept for the teacher and schoolchildren; (3) previous clique formation; (4) the central role of the teacher; and (5) the importance of how praise partners are allocated. We found high adherence to the "11 for Health" concept, in which the teacher played a key role by applying an autonomy‐supportive style of teaching and using the praise partner concept in a suitable manner. A clique of football‐playing boys was a resource, as their praising of classmates encouraged adherence. However, familiarization with the "11 for Health" concept was a challenge and the clique's competitive nature occasionally built barriers to other schoolchildren without football experience, potentially leading to a more controlled form of motivation. Based on the results, we encourage teachers to apply autonomy‐supportive teaching when applying the "11 for Health" concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of the health promotion intervention "11 for Health in Denmark" program on 10‐ to 12‐year‐old ethnic minority schoolchildren's enjoyment, health knowledge, well‐being, and fitness. Methods: 1122 Danish 5th grade schoolchildren with ethnic minority background from 154 schools were randomized (5:1) to an intervention group (IG, n = 944) or a control group (CG, n = 178). The IG and CG were also divided into subgroups of children active in a sports club (IGPA: n = 644; CGPA: n = 122) and not active in a sports club (IGPI: n = 300, CGPI: n = 56). IG participated in the "11 for Health in Denmark" 11‐week program, consisting of 2 × 45 min per week of football drills, small‐sided games, and health education, whereas CG continued their regular activities. Pre‐post physical testing and questionnaires were applied (short version of the multidimensional well‐being questionnaire KIDSCREEN‐27, and a 34‐item health knowledge questionnaire). Results: The "11 for Health in Denmark" program was rated moderate‐to‐high on a 1–5 scale for enjoyment by girls (3.57) and boys (3.65). The intervention had positive between‐group effect on health knowledge in relation to hygiene (IG vs GC: 10.6% points (CI95%: 6.9:14.3), p < 0.05), nutrition (9.6% point (CI95%: 7.4:11.8), p < 0.01) and physical activity 4.4% points (CI95%: 2.2:6.6) as well as overall health knowledge (5.7% points, (CI95%: 4.3;7.1), p < 0.05), with similar effects for girls and boys. The IGPI subgroup showed a positive effect on well‐being (p = 0.04, school and learning) and also fitness effects on performance and VO2 max (p = 0.02: p = 0.01). The IGPA subgroup showed a positive effect on fitness scores (p = 0.02, BMI). Conclusion: The intervention program was enjoyable and had a positive impact on health knowledge of ethnic minority background schoolchildren. In addition, the intervention program had the strongest positive effects on well‐being and fitness scores for the non‐sports club‐active children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]