Academic literature on the topic 'Physical education and training Physical fitness School children'

Introduction. The development of Ukraine cannot be achieved without the powerful educational potential of the nation, namely, not high-quality training of specialists in all sectors. The realization of this goal is impossible without one of the most important components of the educational process - physical education. Physical education helps students in the formation of professional skills, brings up the basics of a healthy lifestyle, improves their health, and increases the level of physical and functional fitness. Therefore, the issues of improving the content, forms and methods of physical education of schoolchildren in secondary schools remain relevant. The article considers and analyzes the importance of independent physical education classes. An innovative technology is proposed to increase the interest of schoolchildren in independent physical education classes with the aim of increasing physical fitness indicators, as well as maintaining and strengthening health. Hypothesis of the study is that independent physical education will improve the physical fitness of high school students. Research purpose to determine the impact of different types of independent physical education on the physical fitness of high school students. Research methods and materials. The proposed innovative technology contains the following components: purpose, objectives, directions, organizational and pedagogical conditions, stages of implementation and performance criteria, which in turn are related to each other and in the complex solve the problem of involving high school students in independent physical education. Methods: analysis and theoretical generalization of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical observation, pedagogical experiment, pedagogical testing, methods of mathematical statistics. The study involved 74 high school seniors who belong to a major medical group and have no health disabilities. Results. The data of the experimental study of the impact of the developed innovative technology on the indicators of physical fitness of older school-age children are presented and its effectiveness is proved. Conclusions. In order to improve the performance of older school-age students, innovative technology was proposed that included the use of information technology and control systems. After the introduction of innovative technology, qualitative characteristics of physical fitness showed that the majority of students EG1, EG2, EG3 and EG4 after the experiment have a sufficient level of physical fitness (p <0,05). Keywords: innovative technology, health, high school students, self-study, physical education.

Promotion of healthy active behaviors should start from early ages, as behaviors learned in youth are more likely to endure. A fundamental body of research in this field focuses on the implementation of programs within physical education (PE), thanks to its favorable characteristics. However, traditional PE based on exercise training and controlling styles seems to have weaker association with students’ health benefits. For this reason, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of a game-based PE program on physical fitness and psychological health in schoolchildren aged 10 to 12 years old. A total of 252 students were distributed in experimental (EG, games-centered activities) and control (CG, traditional exercise training activities) groups. The program lasted 6 months. Health-related physical fitness components, psychological wellbeing, self-esteem, stress, and anxiety were assessed before and after the treatment. Both groups increased physical fitness at post-test; however, cardiorespiratory fitness did not improve. No differences were found between the groups at post-test. Our results show that games may be as effective as traditional training methods; yet, they suggest that PE alone may be insufficient for obtaining substantive benefits in cardiorespiratory fitness, regardless of the type of task presented.

The challenge of preparing children for study in school has acquired particular significance in the present moment. The pre-school training programmes need to be comprehensive, involving tools and methods aimed at the development of motor, intellectual, psychological and emotional abilities. A physical education programme based primarily on play method and teaching kids to play badminton, is an effective means to get children ready for school studies. An 8-month trial of this programme, implemented as part of physical education for pre-school age children attending kindergarten or a fitness club, demonstrated an improvement in the kids’ psychological and emotional qualities (assessed via Lüscher colour test), as well as physical fitness (assessed via physical fitness tests), and confirmed the kids’ readiness for school studies (through Kern-Irasek test).

The article is devoted to the problems of application of the innovative technologies in the system of physical education. Iinnovation in the education is the process of creating, dissemination and application of the new means (novelties) for the solving those pedagogical problems which have been solving before in a different way. Leading scientists suggested innovative technologies like Nordic walk, fit ball aerobic, healthy movably thematic games for solving the problems of educational valeological aiming of the physical education of the primary school children and other. Practical demonstration of the sports and health improvement technologies in physical education is fitness programs. Application of the innovative sports and health improvement fitness technologies in the physical education process of the children of secondary school age will favor to increase of efficiency of both in school and after school work. Aerobic training is the most justified among the health building technologies. Therefore development of the programs aimed at sport and health improvement of this kind gain exceptional sense. Role skating is an effective means of improvement of health which involves a big number of muscles, without getting out aerobic regime of energy supply.

Background: The purpose of the Smart Nutrition and Conditioning for Kids (SNACK) pilot study was to increase fitness levels and overall health of children aged 7 to 9 years in two elementary schools, one urban and one urban rim. Fundamental Integrative Training (FIT) was incorporated into physical education class and was considered a vital component of SNACK. Methods: The FIT intervention was performed twice weekly during physical education class for 8 weeks. Pre- and post-Fitnessgram fitness tests were completed by each child. Results: Fitnessgram fitness test scores improved for all fitness tests for both the experimental and control groups in both schools (P<0.05). Significant differences between groups were found in 4 areas: PACER, push-up, curl-ups, and long jump (P<0.05). Conclusions: FIT is one example of an interdisciplinary (nursing, health and exercise science students and faculty, elementary school administration and staff) collaborative approach to improving fitness levels with limited time and resources.

Background: School physical activity (PA) policy, physical education curriculum, teacher training, knowledge of physical fitness, and parental support are among the key issues underlying the declining trend of physical fitness in children and adolescents. The Chinese CHAMPS was a multi-faceted intervention program to maximize the opportunities for moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and increase physical fitness in middle school students. The purpose of the study was to test whether the levels of modification in school physical education policy and curriculum incrementally influenced the changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and other physical fitness outcomes. Methods: This 8-month study was a clustered randomized controlled trial using a 2 × 2 factorial design. The participants were 680 7th grade students (mean age = 12.66 years) enrolled in 12 middle schools that were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions: school physical education intervention (SPE), afterschool program intervention (ASP), SPE+ASP, and control. Targeted behaviors of the Chinese CHAMPS were the student’s sedentary behavior and MVPA. The study outcomes were assessed by a test battery of physical fitness at the baseline and posttest. Sedentary behavior and MVPA were measured in randomly selected students using observations and accelerometry. Results: The terms contrasting the pooled effect of SPE, ASP, and SPE+ASP vs. Control, the pooled effect of SPE and SPE+ASP vs. ASP only, and the effect of SPE+ASP vs. ASP on CRF and other physical fitness outcomes were all significant after adjusting for covariates, supporting the study hypothesis. Process evaluation demonstrated high fidelity of the intervention in the targeted students’ behaviors. Conclusions: Chinese CHAMPS demonstrated the impact of varying the amount of MVPA and vigorous physical activity (VPA) on the physical fitness in middle school students in support of the need to increase the opportunity for PA in schools and to introduce high-intensity exercises in school-based PA programs. Modification of school policy, quality of physical education curriculum, and teacher training were important moderators of the improvement in physical fitness. (Trial registration: ChiCTR-IOR-14005388, the Childhood Health; Activity and Motor Performance Study.)

Abstract Many studies have investigated whether elevated levels of physical activity and fitness improve academic performance in children, but only a few have examined whether it is physical fitness which varies with academic performance. The purpose of this study was to examine if academic performance is indeed an indicator for physical fitness. For this study, middle school students were recruited for the necessary values and information. The data acquired for academic performance were based off of a public honour roll list distributed within the school community and physical fitness was evaluated via mile-run time, resting, post-active blood pressure and heart rate. There were no differences in proportion across the academic cohorts for any measurements of physical fitness. There was no conclusion such as “students with higher academic performance are less physically fit”; all academic cohorts had relatively similar levels of physical fitness. This may be due to mandatory physical and health education classes, which all students attend; the physical fitness levels are similar due to similar training.

The obesity epidemic and the decline of fitness among children highlights the need for suitable interventions designed to promote Physical Activity (PA) and healthy habits. The purpose of our pilot study was to assess the feasibility of a school-based program among overweight and obese children, by examining changes in their body composition, PA, physical fitness, and some psychosocial determinants of active behavior. An additional objective was to investigate the reciprocal relationship over time between PA and body image. Self-reported PA and health-related fitness tests were administered to 18 overweight and obese children (11.3 ± 0.4 years), before and after a 6-month intervention including nutritional education, skill-learning, playful physical activities, and exercise training. Participants were assessed on body composition, perceived physical ability, body image, and pleasant and unpleasant psychobiosocial states towards PA. After treatment, children showed decreased body mass index, body fat percentage, arm and waist circumferences, and skinfold thickness. Actual and perceived physical abilities, body image, and PA also improved over six months. Cross-lagged correlations suggest body image to be an antecedent to being physically active. Results showed that the multi-component school program may have sustainable benefits in reducing adiposity indicators and improving exercise adherence, physical fitness, and psychological well-being.

SummaryStudy aim: Over the last two decades, the body fat mass has been increasing and the level of physical fitness has been decreasing in school-aged children. Due to the health-related concerns that have arisen regarding school-aged children, the Hungarian government introduced everyday physical education in 2012. Since girls are more disposed to higher body fat and low fitness levels, the aim of our study was to characterise the physique, body composition and aerobic capacity of 10 to 14-year-old girls three years after the introduction of the new curriculum with daily PE lessons. Material and methods: All of the primary schools that were selected to participate in this study serve as partnership schools in the University of West Hungary’s teacher training programme (N = 8). The sample included only those upper primary school girls (10 to 14 years of age) who participated in the everyday physical education lesson (N = 543). Standard anthropometric techniques and a 20m shuttle run test were selected for the analysis. Results: An important result of this study was the finding that differences in the body composition features were consistently significant among the age groups. However, there were no differences among the age groups in the results of the 20 m multi-stage fitness test, nor in the girls’ relative aerobic capacity. Conclusions: It can be presumed that an unfavourable body composition and poor fitness occur primarily in the prepuberty years. Everyday physical education serves as a good opportunity for shaping the girls’ fitness level and body composition, and also for encouraging healthy active living.

The influence of 1 hour per day of required physical education upon aerobic fitness was tested in 546 prepubescent children recruited from an urban and a rural school in Québec. Two cohorts of experimental students began the enhanced program in Grade 1, with immediately preceding and succeeding classes as controls. V̇O2 peak (treadmill) and PWC170 were measured each year within 2 weeks of each child’s birthday. The data showed significant effects of sex (M>F) and environment (urban>rural). Experimental students showed a significant advantage of V̇O2 peak from 8 to 11 years (M>F; urban>rural). Many students reached less than a centrally limited V̇O2max, although the quality of peak effort was somewhat better in experimental than in control students. PWC170 values confirmed a training response in the boys but not in the girls. The data illustrate some of the problems of repeated testing of young children, but nevertheless support the value of training in the prepubescent years.