Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42316192›Full record

Trial reportBMC public health2026

Impact of a school based flag football intervention on fitness outcomes in Chinese children aged 9 to 11 years: a randomized controlled trial.

Junyu Wang, Dongning Liu, Yixin Liang, Xinzhao Cao, Shenghui Guo, Jun Wu, Yong Yang, Ting Xie, Kunyi Yang, Jie Zhuang and 1 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Junyu WangSchool of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai City, China.
Dongning LiuSchool of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai City, China.
Yixin LiangSchool of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai City, China.
Xinzhao CaoBeijing Jisi Huli Education Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai City, China.
Shenghui GuoSchool of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai City, China.
Jun WuShanghai Liuyi Primary School, Shanghai City, China.
Yong YangSchool of Physical Education, Chaohu University, Hefei City, China.
Ting XieShanghai Tongda Experimental School, Shanghai City, China.
Kunyi YangSchool of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai City, China.
Jie ZhuangSchool of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai City, China. zhuangjiesh@163.com.
Xuhui ChenSchool of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai City, China. chenxuhui@sus.edu.cn.

Funding

Research and Innovation Grant for Graduate Students, Shanghai University of Sport YJSCX-2025-025Shanghai Oriental Talent Program JS2025098
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo evaluate the effects of a 10-week school-based flag football programme on fitness outcomes in Chinese children aged 9 to 11 years.

methodsA two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted in a public primary school in Shanghai, China. Children (n = 147) were randomized to either flag football (n = 74; mean age, 9.7 ± 0.5 years; 30 girls) or usual physical education (PE; n = 73; mean age, 9.7 ± 0.5 years; 32 girls). The intervention comprised 60-min sessions, delivered twice weekly for 10 weeks. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention: the 20 m shuttle run test (laps), estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), the 1-min jump rope test (turns), and the 50 m dash (seconds). Primary analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle using multiple imputation and repeated-measures models; subgroup analyses were conducted by sex and baseline weight status. Session intensity was monitored through heart rate (HR) in a subsample.

resultsPost-intervention data were available for 128 children (87.1%). Compared with usual physical education, the flag football group showed greater improvements in 1-min jump rope performance (between-group difference in change = 7.4 turns; p = 0.03) and 50 m dash time (between-group difference in change = -0.3 s; p = 0.013). No between-group differences in change were observed for 20 m shuttle run performance (0.7 laps; p = 0.32) or estimated VO

conclusionsA PE-embedded flag football programme effectively improved sprint speed and 1-min jump rope performance. The observed sex- and weight-specific responses suggest the need for differentiated task progression in school-based interventions to maximize fitness benefits.

trial registrationTrial registration: ISRCTN registry (Current Controlled Trials), ISRCTN62093106; registered 04 February 2026 (retrospectively registered).

Indexed as

Physical Education and TrainingPhysical FitnessChildChinaEast Asian PeopleFemaleHumansMaleSchoolsCardiorespiratory fitnessChildrenFlag footballPhysical educationSchool-based interventionSprint performance

Identifiers

PMID42316192
PMCPMC13523331

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.