Conference Agenda

Purpose: This study explores the relationship between the physical activity (PA) needs of children, adolescents and young adults (aged 6–34) and PA opportunities in a mid-sized city in the western Netherlands, with the overarching aim of supporting the structural development of a PA-friendly public environment.

Methods: Multiple participatory and qualitative methods were used, including dot-voting among children (aged 6-12), interviews with adolescents (aged 12-18), young adults (aged 18-34) and local sports providers, as well as co-creation sessions involving young people (aged 14-20) and PA professionals. The PA-friendly environment model guided the study, focusing on the physical environment (hardware), provision of activities (software), and organisational structure (orgware).

Results: PA and sports participation was high among children (83%) but declined markedly after age twelve, particularly among teenage girls. Young adults preferred flexible, informal activities over organised sports. Key barriers included financial and time constraints, concerns about social safety, and inadequate facilities. Regarding the physical environment (hardware), an urban park was identified by young people and professionals as a key location to stimulate PA participation. However, its potential is currently limited by inadequate lighting and insufficient shelter. Professionals emphasised that physical modifications should be accompanied by clear agreements on activity programming (software) and organisational infrastructure (orgware).

Conclusions: Enhancing health-promoting PA requires practical and policy initiatives, including redesigning activity-supportive environments like urban parks alongside actively involving local communities. PA policy professionals play an important role in linking organised and informal sports settings, particularly to support the retention of teenage girls and young adults.

Background:
Physical fitness is linked to cognitive and academic performance, but most studies are cross-sectional or small-scale. Evidence from large, longitudinal, population-level analyses using objective fitness and academic measures is limited. This study examined whether academic benefits of fitness increase gradually across the fitness spectrum or cluster around health-related thresholds relevant for policy.

Methods:
Nationwide Hungarian administrative datasets were linked to combine objectively measured health-related fitness (NETFIT®) with standardized national mathematics and reading assessments. A closed cohort of 77,676 students was followed from Grades 6 to 8 (2022–2024). Linear mixed-effects models with natural spline functions assessed non-linear associations between fitness indicators and academic scores, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and school-level risk factors.

Results:
Higher fitness was consistently associated with higher academic scores. Each one-unit increase in body mass index corresponded to a 1.75-point lower predicted mathematics score. Cardiorespiratory fitness showed a non-linear pattern: mathematics scores increased by 4–6 points from low to moderate fitness before plateauing. Students in the Healthy Fitness Zone outperformed peers in the Health Risk Zone by 23–31 points in mathematics and 23–25 points in reading. A cumulative fitness index showed graded, positive associations with competence scores.

Conclusions:
Physical fitness, particularly cardiorespiratory fitness, strongly predicts academic performance at the population level. Targeting students in low-fitness categories through school-based interventions may enhance learning outcomes and reduce educational inequalities.

Support/Funding Source:
Hungarian School Sport Federation

Purpose: Mental health problems are rising among adolescents, highlighting the need for preventive interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a school-based intervention on mental health in adolescents.

Methods: This cluster-randomised trial comprised three weekly 60-minute sessions over 7 months: (1) varied physical activities, (2) homework support with activity breaks and (3) walking while listening to audiobooks. Self-reported anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, depression and health-related quality of life were measured using validated questionnaires. Intervention fidelity was assessed via teacher-reported attendance. Multilevel linear mixed-effects models analysed group differences, adjusted for sex and parental education.

Results: In total, 1014 students from thirty-four schools (14 intervention, 20 control; mean age 14.3 years) participated. Results showed a significant difference in anxiety between groups after the intervention (–1.11; 95% CI –2.18 to –0.34; p = 0.02), with the largest improvements observed among students with high baseline anxiety. No overall intervention effects were observed for the other mental health outcomes. Participation in the intervention was high, with a mean student attendance of over 80% across all intervention components.

Conclusions: Integrating scheduled, structured physical activity and homework support into the school day can improve anxiety among adolescents, particularly among those with elevated mental health symptoms. This multi-component, school-based intervention demonstrates a promising strategy that can be feasibly integrated into existing school contexts for promoting mental health among adolescents.

Funding Sources: Knowledge Foundation, Skandia, Kamprad Foundation, Swedish ESF Council and SFO-V.

The purpose of the study.

The aim of the study was to compare individual levels of physical activity in children during their time in kindergarten versus at home. Furthermore, the study aimed to assess the relationship between particular socio-demographic factors and the physical activity levels of kindergarteners.

Methods:

This study compared individual levels of physical activity in children aged 5–6 years across two settings: kindergarten and home. A total of 522 children (51.9% girls) participated. Physical activity was objectively measured using ActiGraph GT3X-BT accelerometers, and selected socioeconomic indicators were parent-reported.

Results:

Children were significantly more active at home than in kindergarten in terms of light, moderate, vigorous, and total moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (all p < 0.001). Boys showed consistently higher physical activity levels than girls in both environments. Notably, median moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in boys was 22.7 min at home and 17.3 min in kindergarten, compared to 19.0 and 14.0 min in girls, respectively. Median step counts were also significantly higher at home (3315.5) than in kindergarten (3111.0).

Significant associations were observed between selected socioeconomic indicators and physical activity. Lower parental education levels were associated with higher step counts, light (father’s education) and moderate physical activity (mother’s education) in kindergarten. Children from families with less favorable financial conditions also had higher moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in kindergarten.

Conclusions:

These findings underscore the importance of the home environment and suggest that certain aspects of socioeconomic disadvantage may be linked to higher physical activity levels in early childhood

Support:

Received no external funding

Schools are a central environment in the daily lives of children and teachers, where substantial time is spent and therefore health-related behaviours and well-being can be meaningfully addressed. Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) refers to regular delivery of curriculum-based lessons outside the classroom, often in outdoor environments. While previous studies have primarily focused on pupils, little is known about potential effects on teachers, or the social and environmental dynamics of EOtC.

This exploratory, quasi-experimental, interdisciplinary study is conducted in 33 schools across Germany (data collection: September 2025–November 2026). Approximately 50 EOtC teachers, 50 EOtC classes and 18 non-EOtC classes participate. The study examines the effects of EOtC on teachers’ stress levels, hedonic well-being, and physical activity, as well as pupils’ cognitive performance, school-related well-being, classroom behaviour, and nature connectedness. Teachers’ physiological stress is assessed through salivary cortisol samples, while physical activity is measured using accelerometery. Questionnaire data capture well-being, nature connectedness, and contextual factors among teachers and pupils. Biodiversity at outdoor learning sites is assessed to examine potential associations with nature connectedness. Teaching characteristics and social interactions between teachers, pupils, learning environments, and teaching objects are documented through structured observations and video-based analyses.

By combining physiological, behavioural, ecological, and sociological perspectives under real-world school conditions, this interdisciplinary study provides a comprehensive assessment of EOtC as a school-based health promotion strategy. The findings will inform practitioners and policymakers about the potential of curriculum-integrated outdoor teaching as a scalable strategy to promote physical activity, reduce stress, and support healthier school environments.

The project aims to address the rising childhood obesity problem in Czechia by integrating technology, exercise, and gamified education to help protect children from severe obesity.

The program was developed by the National Screening Centre, Czech Medical Chamber, Czech Technical University, Charles University and other partners. Program is currently undergoing pilot deployment to verify its effectiveness.

Following the 2026 pilot conclusion, the program aims for national scale-up.

The project targets children aged 6-11 who are either overweight (BMI 90th-97th percentile) or mildly obese (BMI 98th-99th percentile). The goal is 5% BMI reduction over one year.

Paediatricians recruit participants and provide them with fitness bracelets, mobile app access and information materials.

Mobile app, utilizing a fitness bracelet, measures physical activity of participating children. Children, with parental assistance, also log their dietary intake into the app. Energy intake and expenditure are measured during game weeks (one each month). If diet and exercise are sufficient, children are rewarded with points. Accumulated points unlock new game characters.

Preliminary analysis shows that the program is effective in increasing self-perceived physical activity among 67% of participants on first regular checkup. It also showed effectiveness from the first annual checkups, where more than 50% of adherent children achieved weight stagnation, including more than 43% who achieved a BMI decrease.

This project evaluates the effectiveness of the tested instruments and suggests that a technologically-oriented, gamification-driven, public health intervention can help tackle the childhood obesity problem in Czechia. Possible barrier for nation-wide implementation is potential lack of available funding.

Background and Aim
This study examines how a large-scale school sport initiative (School Olympics), understood as a health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) initiative, creates societal value through multi-level governance. It applies Mark H. Moore’s framework for public value creation (Moore, 2000). The study explores how legitimacy and support, operational capacity, and public value generation interact in the governance of this cross-sector initiative, linking empirical insights from a real-world program to a perspective that is rarely applied in this field.

Methods
The paper combines empirical insights and theory, drawing on evaluation-based knowledge and stakeholder perspectives on the implementation of the School Olympics initiative in a Danish municipal context. The material is analyzed using Moore’s strategic triangle to explore how governance processes shape perceptions of public value.

Results
Findings show strong alignment between local political priorities, school engagement, and community partnerships, creating broad legitimacy and support. Operational capacity developed through coordination roles, cross-sector collaboration, and shared learning processes. Public value emerged as increased participation and positive experiences for children, as well as stronger local cooperation, institutional learning, and a clearer role for physical activity in municipal agendas. Tensions included resource demands, long-term sustainability, and uneven effects over time.

Conclusions
Viewing this HEPA initiative through a public value lens highlights how outcomes emerge through interactions between legitimacy, operational capacity, and value creation. The analysis shows how governance dynamics shaped the initiative’s ability to generate locally meaningful outcomes and offers insight into how school-based HEPA initiatives may contribute to broader strategic ambitions beyond participation outcomes.

Globally, almost 80% of adolescents fail to meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), with Irish data reporting similar trends^1,2. In an Irish context, dance is a popular activity among this cohort and Irish dance has the potential to be an alternative form of physical activity (PA) ³. However, the physiological demands of Irish dance remain underexplored. The aim of this research is to determine the acute physiological response of adolescents during a typical dance practice.

Methods:

A total of 27 adolescent girls (15 ± 1.9 years) were recruited from registered Irish dance schools using convenience sampling. Heart rate was recorded continuously throughout the class using polar H10 chest-strap monitors. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was recorded at 10-minute intervals throughout the class using the Borg 6–20 scale. Descriptive statistics were calculated using Microsoft Excel.

Results:

The average session duration was 109.2 minutes (range: 66–153 minutes). Girls’ average resting heart rate was 74.9 ± 8.9 bpm. The class was performed at an average of 51.3 ± 12.7% of heart rate reserve (%HRR). Participants spent 33.3 ± 23.5% of session at light intensity, 30.7 ± 9.6% at moderate intensity, 35.9 ± 19.9% at vigorous intensity and 70.7 ± 28.9% in MVPA. Average minutes of MVPA for a typical Irish dance class was 71.4 ± 29.3. Mean RPE during the session was 12 ± 2.

Conclusions:

Preliminary results show that participating in Irish dance can provide the opportunity for adolescent girls to accumulate MVPA, thus supporting attainment of the PA guidelines.

In many countries, physical activity counselling is implemented within primary health care or closely linked to it. In Finland, most municipalities provide counselling in cooperation with health care services, offering process-based support towards a more physically active lifestyle. While this approach works for some people, it does not always reflect the changing realities of everyday life. A new national direction in Finland is therefore expanding counselling beyond healthcare while maintaining its important role.

The vision guiding this work is that “physical activity counselling ignites the spark for movement throughout life.” The approach recognises that motivation for physical activity is not stable. It rises and falls as life situations change. The aim is to provide easy and accessible opportunities for people to discuss physical activity whenever their motivation fades and needs to be rediscovered. In this evolving model, counselling is not limited to healthcare professionals or clinical settings. It can take place in schools, workplaces, community settings, nature environments or online. Short everyday conversations, remote check-ins, or walking together outdoors can all serve as counselling encounters that help people recognise their strengths and identify simple ways to increase activity in daily life.

The model brings together municipalities, wellbeing services, education providers, community and non-governmental organisations, and private actors. Together they form an ecosystem that makes counselling accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Conclusions: Finland is developing an ecosystem-based counselling model that complements healthcare services and requires new ways to measure impact and coordinated policy support across sectors.