Dose-response relationship of weekly physical exercise on fitness of students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v68.115382Keywords:
Neuromuscular adaptation, Metabolic health, Behavioral adherence, Health equityAbstract
Introduction. Childhood obesity and sedentary lifestyles highlight the critical need to understand the impact of physical exercise on fitness. This study investigates the dose-response relationship between weekly exercise volume and physical fitness components in adolescents using Portugal’s FITescola® assessment program.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of weekly physical exercise duration (2–8.75 hours) on aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and flexibility in 80 adolescents (aged 13–15) over one academic semester. Methodologies. A cohort of 80 adolescents (56.25% female; 43.75% male) completed FITescola® assessments, including completed FITescola® assessments, including cardiorespiratory endurance, lower-body explosive strength, upper-body muscular endurance, abdominal muscular endurance, and lower-body flexibility. Data were analyzed via ANOVA and Pearson correlations (SPSS v29), controlling for habitual physical activity (tracked via the Portuguese Youth Activity Profile) and socioeconomic factors.
Results. Significant dose-dependent improvements were observed with increased exercise volume: Shuttle test: Performance increased from 45.77±5.643 (2hours/week) to 115.2±3.962 (8.75 hours/week; p<.001). Sit-ups: Scores improved from 59.79±4.961 to 69.63±8.021 repetitions (p<.001). Lower-limb flexibility: Progressed from 14.92±3.120 cm to 22.46±3.575 cm (p<.001). Strong correlations emerged between exercise volume and fitness outcomes (r =.817; .981; p<.001). Conclusion. This study confirms a robust dose-response relationship between structured exercise and enhanced physical fitness, supporting its integration into school health policies. Future longitudinal studies and demographically diverse cohorts are needed to generalize findings and address health equity gaps in exercise accessibility
References
Balakarthikeyan, V., Jais, R., Vijayarangan, S., Sreelatha Premkumar, P., & Sivaprakasam, M. (2023). Heart Rate Variability Based Estimation of Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Athletes Using Supervised Regression Models. Sensors, 23(6), 3251. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23063251
Ben Rakaa, O., Bassiri, M., & Lotfi, S. (2025a). Adapted pedagogical strategies in inclusive physical edu-cation for students with special educational needs: a systematic review. Pedagogy of Physical Culture and Sports, 29(2), 67–85. https://doi.org/10.15561/26649837.2025.0201
Ben Rakaa, O., Bassiri, M., & Lotfi, S. (2025b). Epidemiological Study of The Physical Ability to Practice Physical Education in Children with School Pathologies. Journal of Biostatistics and Epidemiolo-gy, 10(4), 406–420. https://doi.org/10.18502/jbe.v10i4.18522
Ben Rakaa, O., Bassiri, M., & Lotfi, S. (2025c). Impact of adapted physical education and para-athletics on mental skills and on pedagogical and school inclusion of teenagers with disabilities. Retos, 68, 82–94. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v68.111520
Ben Rakaa, O., Bassiri, M., & Lotfi, S. (2025d). Promoting Inclusion and Well-Being Through Inclusive Physical Education and Parasports: an Approach for Adolescents with Motor Impairment. Physi-cal Education Theory and Methodology, 25(1), 130–138. https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2025.1.16
Ben Rakaa, O., Lourenço, C., Bassiri, M., & Lotfi, S. (2025). The Effect of Adapted Physical Activity and Inclusive Sport on the Motivation and Psychological Health of Children with Disabilities: A Ran-domized Control Trial. Physical Education Theory and Methodology, 25(3), 642–651. https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2025.3.21
Booth, J. N., Chesham, R. A., Brooks, N. E., Gorely, T., & Moran, C. N. (2022). The Impact of the Daily Mi-leTM on School Pupils’ Fitness, Cognition, and Wellbeing: Findings From Longer Term Participa-tion. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 812616. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYG.2022.812616/BIBTEX
Brito, J. P., Domingos, C., Pereira, A. F., Moutão, J., & Oliveira, R. (2022). The Multistage 20-m Shuttle Run Test for Predicting VO2Peak in 6–9-Year-Old Children: A Comparison with VO2Peak Predic-tive Equations. Biology 2022, Vol. 11, Page 1356, 11(9), 1356. https://doi.org/10.3390/BIOLOGY11091356
Chambonnière, C., Fearnbach, N., Pelissier, L., Genin, P., Fillon, A., Boscaro, A., Bonjean, L., Bailly, M., Si-roux, J., Guirado, T., Pereira, B., Thivel, D., & Duclos, M. (2021). Adverse Collateral Effects of COVID-19 Public Health Restrictions on Physical Fitness and Cognitive Performance in Primary School Children. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, Vol. 18, Page 11099, 18(21), 11099. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH182111099
Cristi-Montero, C., Ibarra-Mora, J., Gaya, A., Castro-Piñero, J., Solis-Urra, P., Aguilar-Farias, N., Ferrari, G., Rodriguez-Rodriguez, F., & Sadarangani, K. P. (2021). Could physical fitness be considered as a protective social factor associated with bridging the cognitive gap related to school vulnerability in adolescents? The cogni-action project. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19), 10073. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH181910073/S1
de Jonge, M., Slot-Heijs, J. J., Prins, R. G., & Singh, A. S. (2020). The Effect of The Daily Mile on Primary School Children’s Aerobic Fitness Levels After 12 Weeks: A Controlled Trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, Vol. 17, Page 2198, 17(7), 2198. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH17072198
Directorate General for Education. (2015). FITescola : O Programa dos Alunos Ativos. https://fitescola.dge.mec.pt/hometestes.aspx
Ekström, A., Östenberg, A. H., Björklund, G., & Alricsson, M. (2017). The effects of introducing Tabata interval training and stability exercises to school children as a school-based intervention pro-gram. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 31(4). https://doi.org/10.1515/IJAMH-2017-0043
Espada, C., Gamonales, J. M., Roman-Viñas, B., Vasileva, F., Font-Lladó, R., Aznar-Laín, S., Jiménez-Zazo, F., Lopez-Bermejo, A., López-Ros, V., & Prats-Puig, A. (2024). Lifestyle as a Modulator of the Ef-fects on Fitness of an Integrated Neuromuscular Training in Primary Education. Journal of Func-tional Morphology and Kinesiology 2024, Vol. 9, Page 117, 9(3), 117. https://doi.org/10.3390/JFMK9030117
González-Devesa, D., Diz-Gómez, J. C., Sanchez-Lastra, M. A., Rodríguez, A. O., & Ayán-Pérez, C. (2024). Criterion-Related Validity and Reliability of the Six-Minute Run Walk Test Among Children: Find-ings from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Measurement in Physical Education and Exer-cise Science. https://doi.org/10.1080/1091367X.2024.2426150
Juhas, I., Skof, B., Popović, D., Matić, M., & Janković, N. (2020). Effects of an eight-week exercise pro-gram on parameters of the lipid profile of female students. Journal of Medical Biochemistry, 39(1), 40–45. https://doi.org/10.2478/JOMB-2019-0006
Kranen, S. H., Oliveira, R. S., Bond, B., Williams, C. A., & Barker, A. R. (2023). The effect of 4 weeks of high-intensity interval training and 2 weeks of detraining on cardiovascular disease risk factors in male adolescents. Experimental Physiology, 108(4), 595–606. https://doi.org/10.1113/EP090340
Lockie, R. G., Dulla, J. M., Orr, R. M., & Dawes, J. J. (2021). The 20-m Multistage Fitness Test and 2.4-km Run: Applications to Law Enforcement Fitness Assessment. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 43(6), 68–75. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000637
Manique, L., Paulo, R., Ramalho, A., Duarte-Mendes, P., Petrica, J., & Serrano, J. (2024). Physical fitness in children in Cabo Verde: differences between gender, eutrophic vs. overweight subjects, and practitioners vs. non-practitioners of sports. Minerva Pediatrics, 76(2), 217–226. https://doi.org/10.23736/S2724-5276.21.06020-5
Marinho, D. A., Pereira Neiva, H., Manuel, R., Ferraz, P., Martins, R. M. G., Duncan, M. J., Clark, C. C. T., & Eyre, E. L. J. (2022). Exploring the Acute Effects of the Daily MileTM vs. Shuttle Runs on Children’s Cognitive and Affective Responses. Sports 2022, Vol. 10, Page 142, 10(10), 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/SPORTS10100142
Masuki, S., Morikawa, M., & Nose, H. (2020). Internet of Things (IoT) System and Field Sensors for Ex-ercise Intensity Measurements. Comprehensive Physiology, 10(3), 1207–1240. https://doi.org/10.1002/CPHY.C190010
McGuire, M. B., & Lockie, R. G. (2021). Motor Skill, Movement Competency, and Physical Fitness As-sessments for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Cadets. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 43(2), 75–83. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000575
Monacis, D., Pascali, G., & Colella, D. (2024). Mediating role of physical activity levels on physical fit-ness in overweight and obese children when Body Mass Index is not a determining factor. Peda-gogy of Physical Culture and Sports, 28(3), 192–200. https://doi.org/10.15561/26649837.2024.0304
Paez, D. C., Cortés-Corrales, S., Jimenez-Mora, M. A., Gutiérrez, A., Arango-Paternina, C. M., & Duperly, J. (2024). Health-related fitness in medical students: a curricular intervention in Bogota, Colombia. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12889-024-17748-Y/TABLES/3
Pelegrini, A., Silva, D. A. S., Petroski, E. L., & Glaner, M. F. (2011). Aptidão física relacionada à saúde de escolares brasileiros: dados do projeto esporte Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Do Esporte, 17(2), 92–96. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-86922011000200004
Rosoł, M., Petelczyc, M., Gąsior, J. S., & Młyńczak, M. (2024). Prediction of peak oxygen consumption using cardiorespiratory parameters from warmup and submaximal stage of treadmill cardio-pulmonary exercise test. PLOS ONE, 19(1), e0291706. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291706
Saint-Maurice, P. F., Kim, Y., Hibbing, P., Oh, A. Y., Perna, F. M., & Welk, G. J. (2017). Calibration and Val-idation of the Youth Activity Profile: The FLASHE Study. American Journal of Preventive Medi-cine, 52(6), 880. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AMEPRE.2016.12.010
Satish, V., Rao, R. M., Manjunath, N. K., Amritanshu, R., Vivek, U., Shreeganesh, H. R., & Deepashree, S. (2020). Yoga versus physical exercise for cardio-respiratory fitness in adolescent school children: A randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 32(3). https://doi.org/10.1515/IJAMH-2017-0154/MACHINEREADABLECITATION/RIS
Tudor-Locke, C., Ainsworth, B. E., & Popkin, B. M. (2001). Active commuting to school: An overlooked source of childrens’ physical activity? Sports Medicine, 31(5), 309–313. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200131050-00001/METRICS
Weaver, R. G., Hunt, E., Armstrong, B., Beets, M. W., Brazendale, K., Turner‐McGrievy, G., Pate, R. R., Maydeu‐Olivares, A., Saelens, B., Youngstedt, S. D., Dugger, R., Parker, H., von Klinggraeff, L., Jones, A., Burkhart, S., & Ressor‐Oyer, L. (2021). Impact of a year‐round school calendar on children’s BMI and fitness: Final outcomes from a natural experiment. Pediatric Obesity, 16(10). https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.12789
WHO. (2024). Physical activity. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
Zhu, Y., Sun, F., Chow, G. C. C., Tao, S., Cooper, S. B., Zhang, B., & Wong, T. W. L. (2022). Associations of Device-Measured Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Executive Function in Preadoles-cents: A Latent Profile Approach. Pediatric Exercise Science, 35(2), 77–83. https://doi.org/10.1123/PES.2022-0016
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Carla Lourenço, Omar Ben Rakaa, João Vicente, Mustapha Bassiri, Said Lotfi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
