Comparing the relationship between the level of physical fitness and the body composition of female students in public and non-profit schools in Rasht

Academic Thesis for Master's Degree

Physical Education and Sports Science

Major: Sports Physiology

Abstract

The aim of the current research is to compare the relationship between the level of physical fitness and body composition between public and non-profit schools. It is located in the city of Rasht. There were 10,080 female students aged 10 to 12 years who were studying in elementary school in the academic year of 1992-1993. The statistical sample of Pezowesh, which was selected by a cluster method, included 600 people, 200 of whom were selected separately in each grade. flexibility, 540 meter run, barfix stretch and stork (balance) were used for these students. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to test the research hypotheses, before using this test, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to check the normality of the data. Fisher's test was also used to compare the physical fitness of public and non-profit schools. In examining the results of the research hypotheses, it was found that there was a difference between the sit-up test and body composition between all grades in public schools and The results of the flexibility tests with body composition, as well as the 540-meter running test with body composition showed that there was a significant relationship between all grades in public and non-profit schools. In the case of the Barfix stretching test with body composition, there was a significant relationship between all grades, except for the fourth grade of public schools. In the case of the balance test with body composition, there was no significant relationship between the two variables in public schools, but in non-profit schools, there was a significant relationship between these Two variables were significant. The result of the comparison of the relationships observed in public and non-profit schools, which was conducted by Fisher's test, indicated that there was a relationship between all the tests in public and non-profit schools according to five types of tests, and only in the fifth grade of the Barfix tensile test, there was no relationship between public and non-profit schools. As a result, it can be said that having moderate physical activity, which reduces the percentage of body fat mass and increases the percentage of lean body mass, plays an important role in increasing the physical fitness of a person. It is also obvious that the increase in body fat mass decreases physical fitness, and with exercise and physical activity, it is possible to increase physical fitness and also reduce body fat mass.

Key words: physical fitness, body mass index (BMI), body composition, subcutaneous fat percentage. In the past few decades, the interest in specialized activities that resulted from the development of physical education has led to the emergence and increase of the number of professions and specialties in the field of sports and physical education. Physical fitness is one of the important topics in sports physiology, which has become the basis of the work of many researchers and the title of many sports scientific books in recent years. The World Health Organization has defined physical fitness as the ability to perform muscle work in a satisfactory manner (17). Physical activity is one of the main prerequisites for growth and health and the basis of a healthy and cheerful life, which plays a significant role in creating mental peace and the potential development of positive habits and attitudes in life. Physical activity is one of the beneficial things to ensure a healthy life in the present and future for children and it should always be a part of the life of the individual and the family. Physical activity is any physical movement that requires energy expenditure (72). The results of the research on the benefits of physical activities show that performing regular physical activities and having an active lifestyle are the main components of maintaining and improving physical and mental health in society (3). On the other hand, past studies show that the years of childhood and adolescence are the golden age for building the stature and skeleton of the body and the production and capacity of the body's biological and regulatory systems (31). Today, the development of machine facilities has led to a better life and more leisure on the one hand, and on the other hand, it has reduced physical activity. This problem has led people to lead an inactive life and a noticeable lack of movement in human life.The results of various studies and statistics indicate that one of the reasons for the increase of fat tissue in the body is lack of physical activity. (25, 8). Physical education itself has a legacy from the past ages, its sources are from human nature, its differences are influenced by changes in the economic and religious environment, and its goals reflect the prominent thoughts of time and place (7). Throughout human history, physical strength and endurance along with courage have been the biggest factors of human success in the field of survival (5). Also, movement is one of the most basic factors in human life, which plays an important role in general development, especially mental and motor development (33). What forms the foundation of all human movement activities is the level of physical fitness of the body. Having high physical fitness not only helps us in performing fundamental movements, but also is effective in learning sports skills (3). The term physical fitness has wide concepts and is defined in different ways in different writings. Generally, the quality and capabilities of the human body in accordance with physical activities are called physical fitness (8). Increasing the body's efficiency capacity cannot be achieved by any other educational program except through physical education and movement activities, and physical education should be a complementary part of educational programs (20,33).  It has also been proven for human societies that better adaptation to the environment requires a balance of physical fitness and body composition in the individual, and if people do not have favorable conditions in terms of physical condition and body composition, they usually become aloof, pessimistic and isolated, and in other words, they will not have a proper psychological balance (81,83). style="direction: rtl;">Many school managers in countries known for sports have experienced that physical education is an inseparable part of the education process and can contribute to the general development of the child and even to the overall education process. According to experienced physical education teachers, students gain new interests in schools due to their engagement with physical education experiences. In addition, physical fitness causes more self-confidence, mental stability and better mental health in a person. Obviously, activity and practice have a very precise and delicate relationship with academic subjects. However, school managers have gradually realized that the overall development of a child is necessary for preparation for learning, and physical fitness is effective in increasing children's intelligence and perception (7). Physical education for elementary school students can bring physical fitness, emotional, social, moral and spiritual, mental and rational health. The physical education program should provide situations for each child to develop and maintain the optimal level of physical fitness according to the special needs of each of them (7). The optimal level of physical fitness is necessary to meet individual and social needs, so it can be one of the goals of education. As mentioned before, physical fitness is one of the important goals of physical education and in order to achieve the goals of education and training, which does not exist in any other part of the curriculum. A person who is physically fit will have enough strength to perform daily tasks without excessive fatigue, as well as have the necessary energy to enjoy free time and deal with unpredictable and urgent issues (7). Chris [1] and Colin [2] believe that the level of physical activity of children and adolescents is a constant question, but the available evidence is unclear or different in terms of methodology. The amount and optimal level of physical fitness that a child should acquire in childhood for health is still unknown. Although it is assumed that in the absence of some indicators, the level of activity known to produce health benefits in adulthood is appropriate for children, despite this, measuring activity in children is difficult and currently there is no valid method to assess the level of activity, which is easy to apply in large-scale research. He adds that the information obtained from large and crowded studies indicates that the peak of activity in children is around the age of 13 and 14. After this period, this amount decreases significantly (31). Another research that was conducted in order to compare the physical fitness and health of Hong Kong and China students, the researchers came to the conclusion that Hong Kong and China have two distinct economic methods, urban and industrial.