Chennai: Pre-teen students taking part in high-intensity outdoor sports such as football have higher levels of self-esteem and self-competence, better sleep cycles, and healthy dietary practices compared to those who don’t, a city-based psychosocial impact assessment study has found. Sports also reduced hyperactivity, made them spend fewer hours in front of TV/mobile screens.The seven-month study by Madras School of Social Work (MSSW) in collaboration with Latentview and Bengaluru-based Sports Village Foundation was done as a pilot covering 240 students from five govt schools in the city from Jul 2025 to Feb 2026. The results of the study are yet to be published. For the assessment, students aged 10-13 years were divided into two groups of 120 each. The first group of students were put under a ‘Chennai Kaalpandhu League’ (CKL) programme, where they received training in football after school hours every day from special coaches in addition to their regular physical education training. The second group received only the regular physical education training in schools.The students took two assessments with parental consent — a baseline test from Jul 27 to Aug 25, 2025, and an endline assessment from Feb 9 to 18, 2026. The scores were compared. Among noteworthy changes were behavioural changes among students.For instance, self-esteem, measured with the widely used Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, increased from a baseline score of 14.29 to an endline score of 14.85 within five months for CKL group students. In contrast, non-CKL group students saw a dip in self-esteem. Self-competence levels and hyperactivity also followed a similar trend. “We could observe stark differences in the way students in the CKL group conducted themselves. The confidence levels were so high, and it also reflected in their dietary habits,” said Priscilla Sathianathan, chair, Centre of Excellence in Health Psychology, MSSW, who was the principal investigator of the study.Additionally, screen time and time spent on social media were lower among CKL group students, she said. The data were recorded as total screen time (hours/day) through the assessments. “But the screen time factor may vary for students who are in their late teens, who may need a mobile to study,” she added.Other notable improvements for the CKL group include regular consumption of breakfast, fruits and vegetables, better sleep patterns and a slight improvement in attendance. Academic scores of students in the CKL group did not change, indicating that sports did not impact academics negatively.The findings will be submitted to the school education department. PE teacher associations welcomed the study. “While the govt has made PE lessons mandatory for all schools, several teachers continue to take over PE periods in schools even today. Due importance must be given to PE,” S Sankaraperumal, president, Tamil Nadu PE Teachers and Physical Directors Association, said.
