Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar 14;18(6):2976.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18062976.

Effects of School-Based Physical Activity Programs on Health-Related Physical Fitness of Korean Adolescents: A Preliminary Study

Eui-Jae Lee  1 , Wi-Young So  2 , Hyun-Su Youn  3 , Jooyoung Kim  4
Affiliations

Effects of School-Based Physical Activity Programs on Health-Related Physical Fitness of Korean Adolescents: A Preliminary Study

Eui-Jae Lee et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

As adolescents spend the majority of their time focused on exams and assignments, they do not have sufficient time to engage in physical activity; this lack of physical activity is an important public health concern. This study aimed to investigate how school-based physical activity programs affect the health-related physical fitness of adolescents in the Republic of Korea. For this study, a total of 120 high school students participated in a school-based physical activity program that included badminton and table tennis for 15 weeks each (35 min/day, three times a week), with a total of 30 weeks for one academic year. The parameters for health-related physical fitness measured muscle strength (handgrip strength), power (standing long jump), cardiorespiratory fitness (shuttle run test), flexibility (sit and reach), body mass index (BMI), and the total score. The results revealed a statistically significant improvement in muscle strength (p < 0.001), power (p < 0.001), cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.001), flexibility (p = 0.005), and the overall health-related physical fitness score (p = 0.001). However, students' BMI showed no significant difference before and after participation (p = 0.825). The results of this study indicated that school-based physical activity programs can have a positive effect on the health-related physical fitness of adolescents.

Keywords: adolescents; body mass index; physical activity; physical fitness; school-based program.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Song J., Lee S., Kim Y., Kim S., Park H., Kim J., Kwak H., Kang J., Park D. Assessing agreement of step test equations to estimate VO2max in Korean male and female youths aged 13–18 years. Exerc. Sci. 2019;28:66–73. doi: 10.15857/ksep.2019.28.1.66. - DOI
    1. Esteban-Cornejo I., Tejero-Gonzalez C.M., Sallis J.F., Veiga O.L. Physical activity and cognition in adolescents: A systematic review. J. Sci. Med. Sport. 2015;18:534–539. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2014.07.007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kumar B., Robinson R., Till S. Physical activity and health in adolescence. Clin. Med. 2015;15:267–272. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-3-267. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee O., Chung J. Study on validation of 20 m progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run and estimation of maximal oxygen uptake in adolescents. Exerc. Sci. 2019;28:168–174. doi: 10.15857/ksep.2019.28.2.168. - DOI
    1. Kelley G.A., Kelley K.S., Pate R.R. Exercise and BMI in overweight and obese children and adolescents: A systematic review and trial sequential meta-analysis. Biomed. Res. Int. 2015:704539. doi: 10.1155/2015/704539. - DOI - PMC - PubMed