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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]

Previous research has shown that an empowering motivational climate in organized sport has been linked to attitudes favoring migrants' integration. The purpose of the present study was to further test the relationship between motivational climate and acculturation attitudes, and to explore the role of prosocial skills as potential mediators of this relationship in adolescent athletes from the host population. Participants were 338 (13.61 ±.95 years of age) Greek adolescents (167 girls) participating in organized sport. Participants' acculturation attitudes, prosocial skills, and perceptions of the coach‐created motivational climate were measured. Analysis of structural models revealed that an empowering motivational climate was positively related with prosocial skills, reflecting empathy and altruism, which in turn were positively linked with acculturation attitudes favoring migrants' integration. The results of the present study replicate previous findings regarding the links between empowering motivational climate and acculturation attitudes, and further, provide evidence that prosocial skills such as empathy and altruism mediate this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study investigates the well‐being effects for 10‐ to 12‐year‐old children who participated in the school‐based intervention "11 for Health in Denmark," which comprises physical activity (PA) and health education. Subgroup analyses were carried out for boys and girls. Method: Three thousand sixty‐one children were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG) or a control group (CG) by 5:1 cluster randomization by school. 2533 children (mean age 11.5 ± 0.4; 49.7% boys) were assigned to IG and 528 children (mean age 11.4 ± 0.5; 50.8% boys) were assigned to CG. 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. CG did not participate in any intervention and continued with their regular education. Before and after the intervention period, both groups answered a shortened version of the multidimensional well‐being questionnaire KIDSCREEN‐27. Results: The "11 for Health in Denmark" intervention program had a positive effect on physical well‐being in girls (IG: 48.6 ± 8.5 to 50.2 ± 9.3), whereas the improvement was not significant in boys. The program also had a positive impact on well‐being scores for peers and social support (IG: 50.2 ± 10.2 to 50.8 ± 10.1), though when analyzed separately in the subgroups of boys and girls the changes were not significant. No between‐group differences were found for psychological well‐being or school environment. Conclusion: The intervention program had a positive between‐group effect on physical well‐being in girls, whereas the change was not significant in boys. The overall scores for peers and social support improved during the intervention period, but no subgroup differences were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated whether the physical fitness and body composition of 10–12-year-old Danish children are related to participation in leisure-time club-based sporting activities. The study involved 544 Danish 10–12-year-old 5th-grade municipal schoolchildren (269 boys and 275 girls, 11.1 ± 0.4 years). After answering a questionnaire about leisure-time sporting activities, the children were divided into four groups: football club participation (FC; n=141), other ball games (OBG; n=42), other sports (OS; n=194), and no sports-club participation (NSC; n=167). The children completed a battery of health and fitness tests, including a 20 m sprint test, a standing long-jump test, the Yo-Yo IR1 children's test (YYIR1C), and body composition, blood pressure, resting heart rate (HRrest), and the flamingo balance test. The children engaged in club-based ball games (FC and OBG) had higher (p<0.05) lean body mass than NSC (FC: 17.5 ± 2.9; OBG: 18.4 ± 2.6; OS: 16.7 ± 2.9; NSC: 16.4 ± 2.8 kg), performed better (p<0.05) in the YYIR1C test (FC: 1083 ± 527; OBG: 968 ± 448; OS: 776 ± 398; NSC: 687 ± 378 m), and had lower (p<0.05) %HRmax after 1, 2, and 3 min of YYIR1C. Moreover, HRrest was lower (p<0.05) for FC than for OS and NSC (FC: 68 ± 9 vs OS: 72 ± 10 and NSC: 75 ± 10 bpm), and lower (p<0.05) for OBG than for NSC (OBG: 70 ± 10 vs NSC: 75 ± 10 bpm). This study found that 10–12-year-old Danish children engaged in club-based football and other ball games had better exercise capacity, lower resting heart rate, and higher muscle mass than children not engaged in leisure-time sports. Thus, participation in club-based leisure-time ball-game activities seems to be of importance for the fitness and health profile of prepubertal children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the enjoyment and cohesion of school children participating in a school-based high-intensity physical activity (PA) intervention. Both enjoyment and cohesion have been found to be important factors for adherence to regular physical and sport activity, an important outcome of PA interventions. The sample consisted of 300 pupils (mean age: 9.3 years; 52.7% female) assigned to a team sport intervention, an individual sport intervention, or a control group for 10 months. The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale and Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire were used to measure enjoyment and cohesion. The Yo-Yo IR1C test determined fitness improvements. Results showed that enjoyment and cohesion (social) measured at the beginning of the intervention significantly predict fitness improvements achieved after 10 months. No differing developmental effects over time could be found in the intervention groups with regard to cohesion and enjoyment when comparing them to the control group. However, enjoyment and cohesion (social) significantly decreased in the groups that performed individual sports. Team sports seem to be more advantageous for the development of enjoyment and cohesion, which are both factors that positively impact the health outcomes of the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigated the effect of increased high-intensity interval training (HIT) at the expense of total training volume on the stress and recovery levels of elite swimmers. Forty-one elite swimmers participated in the study and were randomly assigned to either a HIT or a control group (CON). Eleven swimmers did not complete the questionnaires. For 12 weeks both groups trained ~12 h per week. The amount of HIT was ~5 h vs. 1 h, and total distance was ~17 km vs. ~35 km per week for HIT and CON, respectively. HIT was performed as 6–10 × 10–30 s maximal effort interspersed by 2–4 min of rest. The Recovery Stress Questionnaire – Sport was used to measure the swimmers’ stress and recovery levels. After the 12 week intervention, the general stress level was 16.6% (2.6–30.7%; mean and 95% CI) lower and the general recovery level was 6.5% (0.7–12.4%) higher in HIT compared to the CON, after adjusting for baseline values. No significant effects could be observed in sports-specific stress or sports-specific recovery. The results indicate that increasing training intensity and reducing training volume for 12 weeks can reduce general stress and increase general recovery levels in competitive swimmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]