Effects of an interdisciplinary project to promote healthy behaviors in primary education students of a rural school

Although the benefits associated with a healthy lifestyle are known, a large percentage of young people do not comply with the established recommendations for the different healthy behaviors, especially during Covid-19. Thus, the aim of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate the effects of a multicomponent and multilevel school-based program on multiple health-related behaviors in Primary Education students. For this, 12 students (M=10.33±1.07), from a multilevel Primary Education classroom of a rural school in Teruel, participated. This five-week program aimed to raise awareness about the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle. The results showed an increase in daily physical activity and perceived health status after participating in the intervention program. Likewise, recreational screen time also showed a significant decrease. However, the students did not report significant differences in sleep duration, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and quality of life. Thus, it seems convenient to develop multicomponent, multibehavioral, and multilevel school programs, involving different subjects and areas of action, as well as the entire educational community, to improve these healthy behaviors in young people from rural schools. © 2023, Federacion Extremena de Balonmano, University of Extremadura. All rights reserved.

Motivation and Eco-Attitudes among Night Runners during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Running surrounded by nature at night, often with limited contact with other people, is one of the safest physical activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this article is to determine what motivates night recreational runners and to analyse the differences between men and women according to age, and also to see whether the fact of having had COVID-19 or not matters when it comes to athletes’ motivation behind participating in runs. Runners were also asked about participating in cities or out-of-town events in terms of verifying the cleanliness of the air before running, using masks or running in green areas. 233 individuals in total participated in this descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study. The questionnaire uses the division of motives used in the Marathon Motivation Scale (MOMS) and a number of additional questions on environmental factors. Overall, the main motivation that drives night-time runners is health orientation, weight concern, personal goal achievement, psychological coping, life meaning and self-esteem. The research also showed higher scores for health orientation, recognition, psychological coping, life meaning and self-esteem among runners who had had COVID-19 than runners who had not had the virus. In addition, respondents clearly indicated that night running makes it easier to fall asleep and improves the quality of sleep. Most runners rated their mental health as being good, did not run in the morning despite better air levels, did not choose running events outside the urban area and did not check the air quality index before running. Therefore, it will be important for coaches, event organisers and other professionals to consider athletes’ age, gender, whether they have had COVID-19 and runners’ approaches to eco-attitudes when trying to understand their reasons for participating in different sports or leisure events, especially those that focus on a priority in shaping environmental attitudes. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.