scholarly journals Relationship between Physical Activity, Fitness and Educational Achievement of Rural South African Children

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-54
Author(s):  
M. J. THEMANE ◽  
L. L. J. KOPPES ◽  
H. C. G. KEMPER ◽  
K. D. MONYEKI ◽  
J. W. R. TWISK

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in English; abstract also in Chinese.The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships of physical activity and physical fitness with educational achievement in rural South African school children aged 7 to 14 years (n= 212). All boys and girls underwent the following physical fitness tests: standing long jump, bent arm hang, sit ups, 10 x 5m shuttle run, 50 meter run, 1,600 meter run, flamingo balance, sit and reach, and plate tapping. All tests were performed in accordance with the European Tests of Physical Fitness (EUROFIT) and American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) protocols. A questionnaire was used to gather physical activity information concerning indoor and outdoor household activities, games and sports performed during the week days and weekend days. Educational achievement was assessed by means of the Educational Achievement Tests in Mathematics and English designed by South African Human Sciences Research Council. In contrast to what has been found in developed countries, the results of the present study did not show strong evidence for the hypothesis that physical activity and physical fitness are positively associated with educational achievement. Explanations for this finding may be that: first, the children in this population are confronted by a number of educational problems that may have confounded the relationship. Second, because all these children have high levels of physical activity it may be difficult to measure its influence on educational achievement, and third, the cross-sectional nature of this study.本文旨在探討南非鄉鎮地區小學生身體活動量與學業的關係,以問卷方式進行調查,訪問了212名學童,並評估他們的體適能狀況,結果未能顯示出兩者呈現關係,這現象可能受到文化及敎育等因素影響所致,結果呈現兩種動作類,顯示對於下肢的偏向是取決於動作的。作者提出看法,認為各個不同孩童的互動、動作和環境的轉換都對下肢偏向起著影響。

Children ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofeng Yang ◽  
Joonyoung Lee ◽  
Xiangli Gu ◽  
Xiaoxia Zhang ◽  
Tao Zhang

The major purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a jump rope-based physical activity afterschool program on middle school students’ physical fitness. Sixty students (Mage = 13.37, SD = 0.58; 53.3% female) participated in a 12-week jump rope-based afterschool program (45 min/time, three times/week). Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: (a) freestyle rope skipping (N = 20), traditional jump rope (N = 20), and a control group (N = 20). Physical fitness tests, including muscular strength (standing long jump, right-hand grip, and left-hand grip), flexibility, body composition, and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured in pre- and post-tests. A 2 (time) × 3 (groups) repeated measure multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed. The results found significant improvements in muscular strength (standing long jump, right-hand grip, and left-hand grip) in both intervention groups (p < 0.001; ds = 0.2–0.44). Only the freestyle rope skipping group had increased BMD (p < 0.05, d = 0.33). Compared to the traditional jump rope, the freestyle rope skipping group showed significantly higher improvement in flexibility (p < 0.05, d = 0.83). These findings suggest that the jump rope-based afterschool program with freestyle rope skipping would be more effective than traditional jump rope to promote physical fitness performance among adolescents.


Author(s):  
Aslihan Buksur ◽  
Umut Canli ◽  
Cüneyt Taskin

This study was conducted to examine the effect of participation in physical activity on physical fitness parameters in children aged 5-9 years. A total of 83 children, 44 girls, and 39 boys, studying in a private primary school participated in the study voluntarily. The Eurofit Test Battery was used to evaluate the physical fitness levels of children. Within the scope of the Eurofit test battery; the body weight and height values of the children were measured. In the determination of motoric performances, flamingo balance, disc touch, sit-reach, standing long jump, sit-up, bent-arm hanging, and 5x10 meter sit-up tests were used. A personal information form prepared by the researchers was used to determine demographic characteristics. Whether the data is normally distributed or not was checked with kurtosis and skewness values. In the statistical analysis dimension; descriptive analysis (mean, standard deviation, median, min-max value, ratio, frequency), independent samples t test (Independent Samples t test) were used. In terms of children having an athlete license, a significant difference was found in their height, standing long jump test, sit-up test, bent-arm hanging test, 5x10 meter sit-up run test scores (p>0.05). A significant difference was found in the findings of height, body weight, standing long jump test, sit-up test, bent arm hanging test, 5x10 meter sit-up run test in terms of children's participation in traditional children's games (p>0.05). As a result, it has been determined that children's having an athlete's license increases their height, explosive strength, core strength endurance, upper extremity strength endurance, agility, and again, the students' participation in traditional children's games has positive effect on height, body weight, explosive strength, core strength endurance, upper extremity strength endurance and agility. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0891/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>


Author(s):  
Martin Zvonar ◽  
Mario Kasović ◽  
Lovro Štefan

Background. The main purpose of this study was to explore the body-mass index and waist circumference associated with physical fitness by gender. Methods. In this cross-sectional study, we included 1036 adolescents (55.4% girls) from eight randomly selected secondary schools within the city of Zagreb (Croatia). Body-mass index and waist circumference were objectively measured. Physical fitness included three tests: (1) 1 min sit-ups, (2) standing long jump and (3) a sit-and-reach test. Associations were calculated using linear regression models. Results. Boys had higher body-mass index and waist circumference values, compared to girls (p < 0.001). They also performed better in 1 min sit-ups and the standing long jump tests (p < 0.001), while girls obtained higher values in the sit-and-reach test (p < 0.001). In boys, body-mass index and waist circumference were associated with 1 min sit-ups and the standing long jump. In girls, waist circumference was also associated with 1 min sit-ups and the standing long jump, while body-mass index was only associated with this standing long jump. Conclusions. Our study shows that anthropometric indices have non-linear associations with physical fitness tests in a large sample of Croatian adolescents. Screening for thinness and obesity to predict the level of physical fitness should be of a great interest.


2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence Dwyer ◽  
James F. Sallis ◽  
Leigh Blizzard ◽  
Ross Lazarus ◽  
Kimberlie Dean

The objective of this study was to examine the association of scholastic performance with physical activity and fitness of children. To do so, school ratings of scholastic ability on a five-point scale for a nationally representative sample of 7,961 Australian schoolchildren aged 7–15 years were compared with physical activity and fitness measurements. Consistently across age and sex groups, the ratings were significantly correlated with questionnaire measures of physical activity and with performance on the 1.6-kilometer run, sit-ups and push-ups challenges, 50-meter sprint, and standing long jump. There were no significant associations for physical work capacity at a heart rate of 170 (PWC170). The results are concordant with the hypothesis that physical activity enhances academic performance, but the cross-sectional nature of the observations limits causal inference, and the disparity for PWC170 gives reason to question whether the associations were due to measurement bias or residual confounding.


Author(s):  
Zvonar ◽  
Kasović ◽  
Štefan

Background: The main aim of the study was to explore the association between objectively measured physical fitness and the level of pain intensity. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 1036 adolescents (mage ± SD = 16.3 ± 1.1 years; mheight ± SD = 1.74 ± 0.1 m; mweight ± SD = 64.7 ± 12.4 kg; mbody-mass index ± SD = 21.3 ± 3.0 kg/m2) from 11 secondary schools located in the city of Zagreb (Croatia). Physical fitness was determined by using waist circumference, sit-ups in 1 min, standing long jump and sit-and-reach tests. Overall physical fitness index was calculated by summing the z-score values of each physical fitness test. The level of pain intensity was assessed with the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, a one-dimensional measure of pain intensity. Associations were calculated with correlation analyses. Results: In boys, pain intensity was associated with sit-ups in 1 min (r = −0.16, p < 0.001), standing long jump (r = −0.14, p = 0.003) and overall physical fitness index (r = −0.13, p = 0.004), while no significant associations with waist circumference (r = 0.04, p = 0.438) and sit-and-reach test (r = −0.01, p = 0.822) were observed. In girls, pain intensity was associated with standing long jump (r = −0.17, p < 0.001) and overall physical fitness index (r = −0.10, p = 0.018), while no significant associations with waist circumference (r = 0.01, p = 0.735), sit-ups in 1 min (r = −0.06, p = 0.126) and sit-and-reach test (r = −0.05, p = 0.232) were observed. When we adjusted for self-rated health, sleep duration, smoking status, alcohol consumption, screen-time and psychological distress, similar associations remained. Conclusions: Our study shows a weak association between physical fitness and pain intensity in a large sample of adolescents. Although a cross-sectional design, health-professionals should use physical fitness as a screening tool to assess the level of pain intensity.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiaki Tanaka ◽  
Yuki Hikihara ◽  
Kazunori Ohkawara ◽  
Shigeho Tanaka

This study examined the potential relationship between participation in physical activity (PA) assessed by triaxial accelerometry and physical fitness testing, including health-related and skill-related parameters of fitness, in 136 Japanese preschoolers (65 girls and 71 boys, 5.5 ± 0.6 years). In partial correlation analyses, grip strength and 20m shuttle run test were positively correlated with time spent in physical activity ratio (PAR) ≥ 4. Better scores on standing long jump distance and jump over and crawl under tests were associated with lower sedentary time and greater moderate-to-vigorous PA time and PAR ≥ 4 time, and increased physical activity level. Moreover, 25m run speed was positively correlated with time spent in PAR ≥ 4 and locomotive activity. These findings suggest that development of both health-related (muscle strength and aerobic fitness) and skill-related fitness (power, agility and speed) may make engagement in PA easier for preschool children, although further research on the cause-effect relationship is needed.


Author(s):  
Vitor P. Lopes ◽  
Luis P. Rodrigues

Understanding the mechanisms associated with engaging in physical activity (PA) is crucial for its promotion. The aim was to analyze the relationship between motor competence (MC) and PA and the role of physical fitness (PF). Participants were N = 1,064 children of both sexes (n = 530 girls) and 7.87 ± 1.17 years of age. MC was assessed with KörperkoordinationTest für Kinder. PF was assessed with 50-yard dash, 1-mile run/walk, and standing long jump. PA was assessed with a questionnaire. Mediation and moderation were determined according to Baron and Kenny using Sobel test for indirect effect and using PROCESS (version 3.4). Mediation results showed perfect mediation in girls but not in boys and not when all participants were included in the analysis. The linear moderation was significant for all participants and for boys and girls apart. However, the results of conditional effects of MC at the 16th, 50th, and 84th percentile of the PF, which became significant at the 50th percentile for all participants and for boys, were not significant in girls. In conclusion, perfect mediation seems to exist in girls but not in boys. In boys, the relationship between MC and PA seems conditioned by the PF levels.


2011 ◽  
Vol 105 (12) ◽  
pp. 1832-1842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne E. Arsenault ◽  
Mercedes Mora-Plazas ◽  
Yibby Forero ◽  
Sandra Lopez-Arana ◽  
Germán Jáuregui ◽  
...  

Poor physical fitness is associated with increased health-related risks in children. The association of nutritional status indicators and physical fitness in children residing in developing countries is not well characterised. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 1945 children of age 5–12 years in Bogotá, Colombia, to assess whether anthropometric and micronutrient status indicators were associated with performance in the shuttle run and standing long jump tests. Stunted children scored significantly lower in the run (0·4 s; P = 0·0002) and jump (6 cm; boys only; P = 0·003) tests than non-stunted children, after adjustment for age and other factors. Children who were thin, overweight or obese ran slower than normal-weight children (P < 0·01). Lower jump scores were associated with overweight or obesity and greater arm fat area in boys only (P < 0·0001). Girls with low ferritin concentrations ran 0·6 s slower than girls with normal ferritin concentrations (P = 0·02). Erythrocyte folate concentrations were linearly related to higher run (P < 0·0001) and long jump scores (P = 0·0001). Boys with marginal or low vitamin B12 status had 4 cm lower long jump scores than children with normal status (P = 0·01). Suboptimal anthropometric and micronutrient status are related to poorer performance in fitness tests. The effects of improving nutritional status on physical fitness of children warrant investigation.


Author(s):  
Edilson Hobold ◽  
Vitor Pires-Lopes ◽  
Rossana Gomez-Campos ◽  
Miguel Arruda ◽  
Cynthia Lee Andruske ◽  
...  

Background.The importance of assessing body fat variables and physical fitness tests play an important role in monitoring the level of activity and physical fitness of the general population. The objective of this study was to develop reference norms to evaluate the physical fitness aptitudes of children and adolescents based on age and sex from the lake region of Itaipú, Brazil. Methods.A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with 5,962 students (2938 males and 3,024 females) with an age range of 6.0 and 17.9 years. Weight (kg), height (cm), and triceps (mm), and sub-scapular skinfolds (mm) were measured. Body Mass Index (BMI kg/m2) was calculated. To evaluate the 4 physical fitness aptitude dimensions (morphological, muscular strength, flexibility, and cardio-respiratory), the following physical education tests were given to the students: sit-and-reach (cm), push-ups (rep), standing long jump (cm), and 20-m shuttle run (m). Results and Discussion.Females showed greater flexibility in the sit-and-reach test and greater body fat than the males. No differences were found in BMI. Percentiles were created for the 4 components for the physical fitness aptitudes, BMI, and skinfolds by using the LMS method based on age and sex. The proposed reference values may be used for detecting talents and promoting health in children and adolescents.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Fang ◽  
Minghui Quan ◽  
Tang Zhou ◽  
Shunli Sun ◽  
Jiayi Zhang ◽  
...  

Purpose. To evaluate the relationships between objectively measured physical activity and physical fitness among preschool children. Methods. A total of 346 participants (201 boys and 145 girls) aged 3.5–5.5 years (M=4.5 yr, SD = 0.47) from Shanghai, China, completed physical fitness assessments, including triceps skinfold thickness (TSFT), grip strength, tennis throwing, sit and reach test, standing long jump, balance beam, 10mSRT, and 20mSRT. Physical activity was objectively measured by ActiGraphGT3X+ accelerometer. Multiple linear regression models were used to explore the cross-sectional associations between PA and physical fitness after adjusting for age, gender, BMI, and valid wearing time. Results. Positive associations were observed between stand long jump (p<.01), tennis throwing (p<.01), laps in 20mSRT (p<.01), and MVPA. However, TSFT (p<.05), time in 10mSRT (p<.01), and balance beam (p<.05) were negatively associated with MVPA. Furthermore, positive associations were found between stand long jump (p<.01), tennis throwing (p<.01), and MVPA only in boys. Negative associations were found between time on balance beam (p<.01) and MVPA only in girls. Conclusions. MVPA appears to be an effective and reliable predictor of preschoolers’ physical fitness. Boys’ body composition, muscular strength, explosive strength, agility, aerobic fitness, girls’ agility, aerobic fitness, and balance could improve as MVPA increases.


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