Abstract
Physically active students are more likely to be fit and learn better in school than sedentary ones. For school-aged children, it is unclear whether physical fitness level is an important determinant for student’s activity afterschool. This study examined the association between health-related physical fitness test performance and afterschool physical activity during weekdays. Participants (n = 97, 11–13 years old) completed health-related fitness tests. They wore Actigraph GT3X accelerometers for five consecutive days, recording physical activity participation during after school hours. Descriptive statistics for both afterschool physical activity and health-related fitness were summarized. Regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between variables. Participants spent most of their afterschool hours participating in sedentary behaviors (274.27 ± 66.89 min) and light physical activity (73.68 ± 51.66 min), and only 11.35 ± 16.92 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), accumulating approximately 2058.52 ± 1690.56 steps each day afterschool. The regression model explained 22.8% of the variance in afterschool MVPA, and Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) scores were the only statistically significant predictor (β = 0.47, p < 0.01). Fit students do tend to exercise more after school. Promoting physical fitness in school is an important factor for students’ afterschool physical activity participation during weekdays.
Highlights
Physical activity and health-related fitness have been documented to have many physical and psychological benefits among school-aged children [1,2]
Do fit students tend to exercise more after school? this study aims to address whether fit students tend to exercise more afterschool by examining the association between health-related fitness performance and afterschool physical activity participation during weekdays
This study suggests that promoting health-related fitness in physical education is relevant to improving student afterschool physical activity, which is consistent with a standard expectation of physical education [14]
Summary
Physical activity and health-related fitness have been documented to have many physical and psychological benefits among school-aged children [1,2]. Government agencies and professional associations recommend that children should participate in at least 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) [3]; and improving students’ physical fitness is set as a goal for physical education in the United States [4]. Despite the decline in physical education instruction time, the United States Government. While physical activity opportunities may exist after school, coherent instruction on physical fitness or physical activity may not be available many students. Bridging what students have achieved in physical education (e.g., fitness) to their afterschool behavior will be critical. From the perspectives of physical educators, health-related fitness testing is a measure conducted during instruction time, with an ultimate goal of promoting fitness and lifetime voluntary physical activity participation [4]
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