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Considering that inactivity leads to a decrease in functional abilities and has numerous harmful consequences for the mental and physical health of students, the aim of this study was to explore the impact of physical education on the cardiorespiratory fitness of students in grades 5 to 8. One group of participants included 25 inactive students (15F/10M) from the fifth and sixth grades, while the other group included 25 inactive students (15F/10M) from the seventh and eighth grades. Initial measurements of cardiorespiratory fitness using the Bip test for inactive students were conducted in the second week of physical and health education classes in early September, while the final measurements were taken after 4 months, at the end of the first semester. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was used for repeated measurements within each group, comparing initial and final outcomes. Differences between groups were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness were achieved in the group of fifth and sixth-grade students in the final assessment compared to the initial one. The same cannot be claimed for the group of seventh and eighth-grade students. When comparing the two groups of students, this research indicates significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness in the fifth and sixth-grade group compared to the seventh and eighth-grade group. It is necessary to introduce more hours of physical and health education in schools and involve more students in extracurricular sports activities.
ABSTRACT
Considering that inactivity leads to a decrease in functional abilities and has numerous harmful consequences for the mental and physical health of students, the aim of this study was to explore the impact of physical education on the cardiorespiratory fitness of students in grades 5 to 8. One group of participants included 25 inactive students (15F/10M) from the fifth and sixth grades, while the other group included 25 inactive students (15F/10M) from the seventh and eighth grades. Initial measurements of cardiorespiratory fitness using the Bip test for inactive students were conducted in the second week of physical and health education classes in early September, while the final measurements were taken after 4 months, at the end of the first semester. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was used for repeated measurements within each group, comparing initial and final outcomes. Differences between groups were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness were achieved in the group of fifth and sixth-grade students in the final assessment compared to the initial one. The same cannot be claimed for the group of seventh and eighth-grade students. When comparing the two groups of students, this research indicates significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness in the fifth and sixth-grade group compared to the seventh and eighth-grade group. It is necessary to introduce more hours of physical and health education in schools and involve more students in extracurricular sports activities.
Keywords: health, sport, physical education
1. INTRODUCTION
Previous research indicates that children in Croatia who do not engage in sports activities during their free time achieve below-average results in motor skills, while children involved in additional sports activities only achieve average results compared to the standards set for the United States (Krmpotic et al., 2014). For the health and harmonious growth and development of a child, it is necessary to have more physical activities than the currently recommended two hours of physical education per week (Breslauer, 2007). Therefore, it is crucial to increase additional activities in Croatia and extend the hours of physical and health education in schools. All segments of kinesiological characteristics are extremely important as their monitoring is fundamental for the development and guidance of students in sports. They represent organized systems of all abilities, traits, and motor information, as well as their mutual coordination (Prskalo, 2004). In order to track the progress of students in physical and health education, initial and final checks of kinesiologic characteristics and motor abilities are conducted.
One of these motor abilities is cardiorespiratory fitness, which is also one of the most important components of general fitness. "Cardiorespiratory endurance is the ability to perform dynamic exercises, activating large muscle groups, of moderate to high intensity, for an extended period. Each fitness assessment should include the assessment of cardiorespiratory functions at rest and during work" (Heyward, 2010). MiSigoj-Durakovic et al. (2018) state that just one physical and health education class in which all students participate is a basic condition for introducing students to all other organizational forms of work. From a biological perspective, the primary task of physical and health education is to establish and maintain a balance between individual organs and the organism, as well as between the organism and the environment. As inactivity leads to a reduction in functional abilities and has numerous harmful consequences for the mental and physical health of students, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of physical education on the cardiorespiratory fitness of elementary school students from grades 5108.
2. METHODS
For the purposes of this research, a sample of 50 students from two elementary schools in Zagreb was used. The sample included students of both genders from grades 5 to 8. In the group of 5th and 6th graders, there were 15 girls and 10 boys. Similarly, the group of 7th and 8th graders also included 15 girls and 10 boys. Inclusion criteria for the study were as follows: only students who had not participated in sports in the last 6 months and were not currently involved in any training during the initial cardiorespiratory fitness testing were included. Before participating in the study, all of the parents of the participants were informed about the research goals, its execution, and potential risks. They were provided with participant information, and parental consent was required for participation in the study. The study divided participants into two groups, with 5th and 6th graders in one group and 7th and 8th graders in another. Initial cardiorespiratory fitness measurements for inactive students were conducted in the second week of physical education classes in early September, while final measurements were taken after 4 months, at the end of the first semester. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using the Bip Test. The Bip Test, developed by Léger in 1982, is used for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness and progress during training processes for boys and girls aged 5-18. It can also be applied to evaluate aerobic abilities in the adult population, demonstrating satisfactory reliability and validity (r = 0.975, SEE = 2.0 mlxkg-1xmin-1) (Léger & Lambert, 1982). The test consists of 21 or more levels with 7 or more running intervals of 20 meters each. The participant runs the 20-meter distance in each interval, aiming to be within 3 meters of the marker at the sound signal (bip). The running pace increases as the interval between sound signals shortens. Training Protocol - inactive students participated in regular physical education classes twice a week, which was their only sports activity. The curriculum in the first semester included running and jumping exercises from athletics, as well as activities from handball, basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball. Both groups of students covered the same topics, with 7th and 8th graders performing more advanced exercises. Statistical Methods The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the deviation level of the empirical distribution from normal (Table 1). The t-test for independent samples was used as a parametric method to identify differences in initial measurements between the Sth and 6th-grade group and the 7th and 8th-grade group in the Bip Test. Non-parametric statistical methods were used due to deviations from the normal distribution of variables. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was employed for repeated measurements between initial and final outcomes within each student group. To compare groups, the difference variable between the measurement time points was calculated: 1. from the initial to the final measurement (variable IN-FIN difference). Mann-Whitney U test was then used to compare differences between groups. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
3. RESULTS
The T-test for independent samples revealed no statistically significant difference in the initial measurement of the Bip Test between the group of 5th and 6th-grade students and the group of 7th and 8th-grade students (Table 1). The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used for repeated measurements to determine the statistical significance between the initial and final states in performing the Bip Test for the group of 5th and 6th-grade students (Table 2) and the group of 7th and 8th-grade students (Table 3). To compare the progress from the initial to the final state in the Bip Test between the two groups of students, the Mann-Whitney U test was conducted (Table 4).
The significance level (p) for the Bip Test is less than 0.05 (p=0.00) for both initial and final measurements, indicating that the group of 5th and 6th-grade students achieved a significantly better result in the final measurement compared to the initial one.
There was a statistically significant improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness in the group of 5th and 6th-grade students compared to the 7th and 8th-grade students (Figure 1).
4. CONCLUSION
The results of this research indicate that attending 2 hours of physical education and health classes per week can significantly improve cardiorespiratory fitness in 5th and 6th-grade students who do not engage in any sports training. However, the same cannot be claimed for 7th and 8th-grade students, as there were no significant improvements in their cardiorespiratory fitness. One of the reasons for these results could be the declining motivation for exercise in 7th and 8th grades, corresponding to the age of puberty, as well as the fact that students have increasing school and extracurricular obligations, resulting in a lack of physical activity. Kalcik et al. (2011) conducted research on 20 fifth-grade students, indicating a significant correlation between the 6-minute running test commonly conducted in elementary schools and the Bip Test used in this study to assess cardiorespiratory fitness. Their results support the notion that the 6-minute test is suitable for assessing aerobic capacity, while the Bip Test is more applicable to specific situations in team sports characterized by acyclic movement structures. Therefore, the Bip Test is recommended for directing children toward team sports. Given that students mostly participated in program activities of team sports and acyclic movements in the first semester, this could explain why Sth and 6th-grade students achieved a significant improvement in the final Bip Test measurement. The same results were not obtained for 7th and 8th-grade students. A study by De Jonge et al. (2020) on 659 students from Sth to 8th grade suggests that running for 15 minutes 3 to 4 times over 12 weeks can significantly improve the cardiorespiratory fitness of students. Introducing more hours of physical education in elementary schools in the future could allow incorporating running three times a week and positively influencing students" health. Aneta (2019) conducted research on the health fitness of an elementary school from 1988 to 2014, encompassing 4448 students from the fifth to eighth grade.
The results indicate a negative trend in all grades, with statistically significant deterioration recorded in the fitness of Sth, 6th, and 7th-grade female students. Their research used the 6-minute running test for health fitness assessment. Additionally, the research by Tomkinson and Olds (2007) found a significant decrease in aerobic fitness among children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 in 27 countries worldwide, especially after 1970. Each year, aerobic fitness in children decreases by 0.36%. The decrease in children's aerobic fitness can be attributed to a sedentary lifestyle, to which parents consciously or unconsciously contribute. Considering the relatively small sample size, which cannot be deemed representative of the entire population of children and youth in Croatia, it is essential to acknowledge limitations in the conclusions drawn. Further research in this area is necessary to obtain a clearer picture, and the authors suggest longer-term monitoring of students and analyzing the effects on a larger number of participants.
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