Sport-2-Stay-Fit study

Children and adolescents with a physical disability often show reduced fitness levels and physical activity patterns, and they participate less in competitive and recreational sports compared with their non-disabled peers. A variety of interventions showed that training programs improved physical fitness levels and participation in physical activities or sports, however the positive effects following the training program in children and adolescents with a physical disability do not sustain. The Sport-2-Stay-Fit (S2SF) study will investigate if sport participation in the immediate after school hours increase the sustainability of a standardized interval training program in children and adolescents with a chronic disease or condition. Outcome measures will be: physical fitness, physical activity, cardiovascular health, cognition, and psychosocial functioning.



The S2SF study is a clinical controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of sport participation after school. Children and adolescents will be included from different schools for special education in The Netherlands. Participants are in the age of 6-19 years with a chronic disease or condition. This could be either a cardiovascular, pulmonary, musculoskeletal or neuromuscular disorders. Both children who are ambulatory and children propelling a manual wheelchair will be included. All children and adolescents will participate in an 8 weeks high-intensity interval training program to improve their physical fitness level. Thereafter, the intervention group will participate in sports after school hours for 6 months and the control group receives assessment only.

The S2SF study hypothesize that sport participation in the immediate after school hours following a standardized interval training program increase the sustainability of physical fitness level, health status, cognition, and psychosocial functioning in children and adolescents with a chronic disease or condition.

All children and adolescents in the S2SF study will participate in an 8 weeks High-intensity Interval Training (HIT) program to improve their physical fitness level. Thereafter, the intervention group will participate in sport after school for 6 months and the control group receives assessment only.
Measurements will take place before the HIT, directly after as well as 6 months later.

The intervention will take place on schools for special education in The Netherlands. All children and adolescents will participate in an 8 weeks high-intensity interval training program during school hours to improve their physical fitness level. Thereafter, the intervention group will participate in sport after school for 6 months and the control group receives assessment only.