Effects of a 12-Week Recreational Football Program on Physical Activity Determinants in Adolescents

Effects of a 12-Week Recreational Football Program on Predisposing, Enabling, and Reinforcing Determinants of Physical Activity in Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial Based on the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model

Randomized controlled trial assessing the effects of a 12-week recreational football program on behavioral, psychosocial, environmental, and physical determinants of physical activity in male adolescents aged 10-13 years.

Participants will randomized into an experimental group receiving a 12-week recreational football program (24 sessions; two 60-minute sessions per week composed of warm-up activities and small-sided game-based soccer drills) or a control group maintaining usual routines. The intervention emphasizes enjoyment, inclusion, and game-like activities and is supervised by trained staff. Heart rate and GPS metrics will monitored in a subsample, and perceived exertion and pleasure will recorded after all sessions.

Assessments will conducted at baseline and post-intervention across three separate laboratory and field visits. Measures include sociodemographic data, perceived health, psychosocial determinants (motivation via BREQ-2, self-perception via EAPH-A, self-efficacy, attitudes, social support from parents and peers), accelerometry-based physical activity (ActiGraph GT3X; Evenson cut-points), and habitual movement behaviors. Physical assessments include anthropometry, body composition (DXA), maturation (Maturity offset), aerobic fitness (Yo-Yo IR1C), global motor competence (KTK), ball coordination skills (TCMB), and cognitive function (Tower of Hanoi). Environmental perceptions and socioeconomic status are also evaluated. The study follows a pre-post parallel-group design based on the Youth Physical Activity Promotion (YPAP) model and aims to examine changes in predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing determinants of physical activity among adolescents.

Inclusion Criteria:

• male adolescents;
• age 10-13 years;
• medical clearance for physical activity;
• availability for 12-week intervention.

Exclusion Criteria:

• presence of any clinical diagnosis that may interfere the performance of assessments or the intervention (including musculoskeletal, neurological, vascular, pulmonary, or cardiac disorders);
• attendance < 85% of sessions (intervention group).