active during the school day ( Stylianou, van der Mars, et al., 2016 ). Getting children moving before school can also be used as a method to improve physical health, including body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness ( García-Hermoso et al., 2019 ; Westcott et al., 2015 ; Whooten et al., 2018
Search Results
Before School Exercise Effects on Fitness and Academic Performance in Schoolchildren: A Retrospective Case-Controlled Study
Austin J. Kulp and Xihe Zhu
Promoting Health-Related Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Physical Education: The Role of Lesson Context and Teacher Behavior in an Observational Longitudinal Study
Miguel Peralta, Élvio Rúbio Gouveia, Gerson Ferrari, Ricardo Catunda, Duarte Heriques-Neto, and Adilson Marques
Medicine, 2013 ). Among the physical fitness components, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is the most studied, as it is an important health indicator associated with cardiometabolic health, including blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and glucose tolerance, in children and adolescents
Impact of Embedding High-Intensity Interval Training in Schools and Sports Training on Children and Adolescent’s Cardiometabolic Health and Health-Related Fitness: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Narelle Eather, Mark Babic, Nicholas Riley, Sarah A. Costigan, and David R. Lubans
a small proportion (∼6%) of older adolescents (15–17 years) considered sufficiently active ( Schranz et al., 2016 ). Furthermore, current levels of physical fitness in young people are concerning. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels of children and adolescents have dropped by 7.3% since the 1980
The Role of Perceived and Actual Motor Competency on Children’s Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness During Middle Childhood
Xiangli Gu, Katherine Thomas Thomas, and Yu-Lin Chen
Purpose:
Guided by Stodden et al.’s (2008) conceptual model, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations among perceived competence, actual motor competence (MC), physical activity (PA), and cardiorespiratory fitness in elementary children. The group differences were also investigated as a function of MC levels.
Methods:
A correlational research design was used in this study. There were 262 children (Mage = 10.87, SD = .77) recruited from three schools in the southern U.S. Students’ MC was objectively measured based on a process-oriented assessment (PE Metrics, NASPE, 2010). Students self-reported perceived competence and leisure-time PA. Then, the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) and pedometers were used to measure students’ cardiorespiratory fitness and in-class PA, respectively.
Results:
The structural equation modeling analysis supported the significant indirect effect of the MC on cardiorespiratory fitness and PA through perceived competence. The MANCOVA yielded a significant main effect for MC groups after controlling for sex [Wilks’s Lambda = .838, F = 12.15 (4, 251), p < .001, η2 = .16]. Regardless of sex, children with low MC demonstrated lower perceived competence, PA, and cardiorespiratory fitness compared with children with higher MC (p < .001).
Discussion:
Development of students’ competence beliefs in PE and certain movement patterns should be emphasized, especially during middle childhood. High quality PE programs must be aligned with national standards, with particular attention to enhancing skill acquisition (standard 1) and PE-motivation (i.e., perceived competence; standard 5).
Girls’ Physical Activity during High School Physical Education: Influences of Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Stuart J. Fairclough
This study assessed the physical activity levels of 20 high school girls (age 13 years, SD = 1.1) during physical education classes, over an 8-month period. Physical activity was measured by heart rate telemetry and accelerometry. Skinfold measurements were used to estimate percent body fat, and peak VO2 was assessed by maximal treadmill running. Girls engaged in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) for 38.5% of class time and produced 961.8 vector magnitude (Vmag) counts · min−1. Body fat was inversely correlated with Vmag counts · min−1 (r = −.65, p < .01) and peak VO2 (r = −.65, p < .01). Girls’ MVPA in physical education did not meet the Healthy People 2010 50% of class time criterion. Body fat significantly predicted 42% of the variance in Vmag counts · min−1. Cardiorespiratory fitness appeared not to influence physical activity during physical education, regardless of measurement method. Girls’ physical activity in physical education may be improved if schools advocate planned lesson outcomes that aim to maximize opportunities for physical activity.
Motivational Profiles and their Associations with Achievement Outcomes
Bo Shen, Nate McCaughtry, Jeffrey J. Martin, and Mariane Fahlman
With the belief that theoretical integration in motivation may help us better understand motivational behavior, we designed this study to explore adolescents’ motivational profiles and their associations with knowledge acquisition, leisure-time exercise behaviors, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Middle school students from a large urban inner-city school district (N = 603, ages 12–14) completed questionnaires assessing motivational constructs and leisure-time exercise behavior. Knowledge and cardiorespiratory fitness were also assessed with a knowledge test and the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test, respectively. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, we found that students’ motivation in physical education could be explained from a multi-theoretical perspective. The interactive patterns among different motivation constructs were homogeneous overall and associated with in-class effort, knowledge, and leisure-time exercise behavior. These findings suggest that students’ development in physical education may depend upon a collective impact of changes in knowledge, physical activity ability, and sources of motivation.
The Effects of COVID-19 School Closures on Physical Fitness in Adolescents
Alex M. Wolfe, Maria A. Pessman, Kelly R. Laurson, Dale D. Brown, and Ryan A. Brown
endorsed the FITNESSGRAM test battery to be valid and reliable in assessing the five components of health-related physical fitness within youth populations ( Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research, 2010 ; Morrow et al., 2010 ). These components included cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength
The Role of Cost in Predicting Learning Outcomes in Physical Education: An Expectancy–Value–Cost Model
Bo Shen, Benzheng Li, and Jin Bo
, and cost predicted behavioral and emotional engagement. In Study 2, we utilized a longitudinal data set to explore how competence belief, task value, and cost influenced students’ hypothetical choice of attending PE and their cardiorespiratory fitness. Study 1 In Study 1, our objective was to assess
“STAR WARS™: The First Jedi” Gamification Program: Improvement of Fitness Among College Students
Jose Mora-Gonzalez, Carmen Navarro-Mateos, and Isaac J. Pérez-López
Physical fitness is one of the strongest predictors of health throughout the lifespan ( Ortega et al., 2018 ; Raghuveer et al., 2020 ). Two main components of fitness with documented benefits on health are cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness ( Fraser et al., 2021 ; Ortega et
The Effects of a Goal Setting Intervention on Aerobic Fitness in Middle School Students
Samantha M. McDonald and Stewart G. Trost
Purpose:
This study evaluated the effects of a goal setting intervention on aerobic fitness (AF) in 6th to 8th grade students.
Method:
Students at the intervention school received a lesson on SMART goal setting. Students in the comparison school served as a measurement-only group. AF was assessed via the PACER multistage shuttle run test pre and post intervention. Between-group differences for change in AF were assessed using a RM ANCOVA.
Results:
A significant group by time interaction was observed for PACER performance, F(1,263) = 39.9, p < .0001. Intervention students increased PACER performance from 40.6 to 45.9 laps, while comparison students exhibited a decline from 30.2 to 23.4 laps. Intervention students were 10 times as likely as those in the comparison school to maintain Healthy Fitness Zone status or progress from Needs Improvement Zone to Healthy Fitness Zone.
Discussion:
Educating middle school students about SMART goal setting may be an effective strategy for improving aerobic fitness.
