LIFE research group
Physical Activity, Fitness and Health
DEPORTE, ADOLESCENCIA Y SALUD
The DADOS Project (Deporte, ADOlescencia y Salud) intends to know the effects that physical activity has regarding the development during the adolescence period. Thus, this study analyses the influence of physical activity on physical health, psychological well-being and academic performance. This research project is developing thanks to the collaboration of different research groups from Almería University, Zaragoza University, and Jaume I University of Castellón.
OBJECTIVES
DADOS Project emerged from the interest in knowing the effects that physical activity practice has regarding the development during the adolescence period, being its main objective to analyse the influence that phsyical activity practice has on physical health, the level of psychological well-being, and academic performance during the secondary school period.
From this main objective, DADOS Project established different objectives that intend to answer some of the most common concerns among educative institutions, health responsibles, and families itself.
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To know if adolescents achieve the minimum recommendations of physical activity.
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To know how physical activity influences on the level of physical fitness.
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To know how physical activity influences on body composition.
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To analyse the influence of physical activity on cardiometabolic risk indicators.
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To analyse the influence of physical activity on cognitive ability and academic performance.
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To analyse the influence of physical activity on the level of psychological well-being.
METHODOLOGY
In the DADOS Project, we analyse the development of the level of physical activity (one of the main indicators of physical health), the level of psychological well-being, and the academic performance in a wide group of adolescents of Castelló province. Participants belong to secondary school centres "ESO" and sports clubs from the province and rely on different levels of physical activity in their daily life. All of them are volunteers and count with the approval and the informed consent of their parents or legal custodians.
The assessments of DADOS Project takes place in the Campus Riu Sec from Jaume I University of Castellon. Each one of the selected adolescents participants of the project has complemented one evaluation per academic year during the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. The designed evaluation protocol has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Jaume I University of Castellon, it is applied during one afternoon and presents the following structure:
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Assessment of the overall health status, blood test, and the installation of an accelerometer in order to evaluate the level of physical activity.
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Questionnaires addressed to evaluate the cognitive ability and the level of psychological well-being.
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Tests for assessing physical fitness related to health.
Since the assessments are executed during the afternoon, all participants have foods and drinks for their disposal during the snack time and the completion of the physical fitness tests. Similarly, in order to ensure the appropriate clothing, all participants receive a gift card exchangeable for sportswear and sports equipment in a specialised shops. The obtained data is treated anonymously and confidential on the parts of the members of the research group. In addition, upon completion of the yearly assessments, participants receive a full report about their health status, their cognitive ability, and their level of psychological well-being. In the case of the detection of any potential abnormality, the participants' families count with free consultation from specialised professionals in the health, psychologic, and sports sectors.