The relationship between physical fitness and body composition, quality of life and anxiety of 12-14-year-old female students

To receive a master's degree in the field of physical education (exercise physiology orientation)

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between physical fitness variables with BMI and WHR, quality of life and the level of anxiety of 12-14-year-old female students in Lahijan city in the academic year of 2013-2014. The current research was of a descriptive-correlation type, which was carried out by the field method. For this purpose, 300 female students of the first year of high school in public schools of Lahijan city were selected by random-cluster sampling method and based on Morgan's table. The average age, height and weight of the group were 13.07±0.702 years, 157.70±6.070 cm and 51.92±11.877 kg, respectively. In order to carry out this research, Ifred's test, including Barfix stretching, sit-up, flexibility and 540-meter running tests, was used to measure the level of physical fitness. Also, in order to obtain BMI, WHR, quality of life and anxiety of the participants, weight divided by the square of height, waist to hip circumference ratio, as well as quality of life (QOL) and Beck anxiety (BAI) questionnaires were used, respectively. In data analysis, descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test were used to determine the normality of the data, and Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the variables. Data analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between physical fitness factors and students' BMI and WHR variables (P < 0.05). But; No significant relationship was observed between these factors and students' quality of life and anxiety variables (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Considering the mutual relationship between physical fitness factors with body mass index and the ratio of waist circumference to hip circumference, it seems necessary to strengthen the acquisition of physical fitness in schools.

-1. Introduction

In most countries of the world, teenagers form a significant part of the population structure (104). Adolescence is a critical stage in life where the foundation of the future lifestyle is formed. According to experts, adolescence should be considered a very important stage of life. Because adolescence is a period characterized by rapid physical and psychological changes, identity search, panic and crisis, and idealism. From this point of view, adolescence is different from other periods of life. On the one hand, one of the extreme needs and attentions of teenagers in this period is to be accurate in their body composition, fitness and other physical and psychological characteristics, which is especially important in the early years of adolescence. If teenagers do not have favorable conditions in terms of physical condition and body composition, they will usually become anxious, pessimistic and isolated and will not have proper mental balance(80). In this regard, many researches have shown that physical fitness, in addition to being a valuable tool for physical health, has a close relationship with mental health and prevention of mental disorders. Exercise reduces anxiety, increases self-confidence and strengthens positive self-concept (31). If doing sports and gaining high levels of physical capabilities indicates health, ability and higher quality of life, reducing physical mobility and low level of physical fitness indicates an inappropriate way of life. The main mission of sports and physical education in society is also; physical and mental health of society members (28). In this sense, the discussion related to the physical fitness of teenagers has always attracted the attention of many experts, trainers and sports science researchers. There are many scientific evidences that emphasize the basic need of different strata of society, especially teenagers, for sports and an active life. regular physical activity; It can undertake part of the mission of preserving human biological life and is one of the ways to ensure health and increase the quality of life.   

    In general, the importance of physical education and physical fitness for members of the society is such that the educational, scientific and cultural organization of the United Nations (UNESCO[2]) recognized its position as one of the principles of "fundamental human rights[3]" in Article 1 of its charter in 1978. Therefore, all members of the society, especially the youth group, need to acquire and maintain physical fitness in order to improve their physical and mental health as well as the desired level of their quality of life.Optimum physical fitness is important because its positive and negative changes can affect other aspects of life such as people's education and career.  

1-2. Problem statement

Adolescence is a bridge between childhood and adulthood and a sensitive and transitional stage in life where the foundations of the future lifestyle are formed. Especially the beginning of the adolescent stage, which is full of transformation, dynamics and interactions that are expected to lead to the development of cognitive, emotional and psycho-motor skills in line with educational goals. In this regard, having physical fitness[4], which is defined as having the necessary physical strength to properly perform daily physical activities(85), is one of the best ways to improve body composition[5], quality of life[6] and reduce the risk of illness and death, and has a positive effect on eliminating mental disorders such as anxiety[7] (106). Recent information from the World Health Organization (2015) indicates that physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for mortality, the cause of about 2.3 million deaths worldwide. According to this global organization, increasing awareness and positive understanding of the impact of diet, physical activity and physical fitness on health, as a preventive intervention, is one of the most important issues in the field of health. Although physical activity is one of the important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. However, it seems that a large number of teenagers in developing countries are not active enough to achieve the benefits associated with this activity. In relation to the issue of physical fitness and its relationship with body composition, quality of life and adolescent anxiety, body composition refers to body mass index [8], and the ratio of waist circumference to hip circumference [9]. Also, the meaning of quality of life; The dimensions of health are physical, psychological, social relations and living environment, which according to the definition of the World Health Organization, is a concept affected by the physical, mental and social condition of a teenager. Especially in the field of defining the concept of quality of life and its objective measurement in the past three decades, a lot of effort has been made. In this regard, some researchers believe that a low level of physical fitness is one of the most important signs of low quality of life (86). In addition to the issue of quality of life for adolescents, similar research results have shown that reducing anxiety is not only a direct consequence and emotional benefit of physical fitness (61), but a low level of physical fitness is one of the predictors of moderate anxiety levels (65). Therefore, due to the fact that anxiety is one of the most common mental problems, especially during adolescence, which if no effort is made to solve it in time, it becomes more generalized and under the headings of academic anxiety or exam anxiety, it leads to a decrease in self-confidence, academic failure, truancy from school, substance abuse, interpersonal relationship disorders, and anxiety disorders in adulthood (67). Based on this, experts believe that students who are physically fit due to regular physical activities, are more likely to have a better quality of life in relation to general health, and to the same extent, they will have less fear, anxiety and negative fantasy(95). In this connection, some researches have shown that if teenagers do not have favorable conditions in terms of physical condition and body composition, they will not have proper psychological balance and will usually be anxious, withdrawn and pessimistic (4). is (2006). Research findings in this field indicate that obese children, in addition to increasing the risk in the future, also experience breathing problems, blood pressure, early signs of heart disease, insulin resistance, and psychological effects [including anxiety] (35). One of the main components of physical fitness is cardio-respiratory endurance[10], muscular endurance[11], flexibility[12] and body composition[13]. The results of studies in this field show that increasing muscle strength, muscle endurance and flexibility has positive effects on the cardiovascular system and reduces muscle and skeletal injuries. The importance of proper body composition, which is one of the effective factors in providing health and physical fitness, is significant, especially in growing subjects - the adolescent group.

A review of research backgrounds shows that having physical fitness reduces anxiety (101), but also increases the quality of life (72).