Changes in weight indexes and aerobic fitness of physical education students over three years of college

Abstract

Meckel Y, Galily Y, Nemet D, Eliakim A. Changes in weight indexes and aerobic fitness of physical education students over three years of college. J. Hum. Sport Exerc. Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 112-121, 2011. Data from the national surveys indicate that physical activity and dietary patterns of many college students do not meet the recommendations of health and fitness experts, and that 29.9% of college students are overweight or obese. Thus, the aim of the present study is to track changes in body composition and aerobic fitness of physical education students during their college years. The students (n=174, 89 females, 85 males) were evaluated for body weight, percent body fat, lean body mass and aerobic fitness (2000m running time) at the beginning of their freshman and at the end of junior year. Body weight and percent body fat increased significantly in both female and male students. Aerobic fitness decreased significantly in male students. Increases in body weight and fat percentage occurred mainly in initially thin males and females but remained unchanged in initially overweight students. Aerobic fitness decreased significantly in the initially fastest students but improved significantly in the initially slowest students. Findings suggest that the structured PE program and college atmosphere were not sufficient for the upper quartile students to maintain their body weight and fitness level over the three years in college, suggesting that fitness considerations in this population should be addressed more vigorously.

Tracking Changes of Chinese Pre-Service Teachers’ Aerobic Fitness, Body Mass Index, and Grade Point Average Over 4-years of College

“…Using a sample of Chinese pre-service teachers, the results of the longitudinal study revealed that BMI was not significantly associated with GPA, while AF was negatively correlated to GPA for the first three years and such a relationship was not found at the fourth year. Unlike that found in the literature [7,51], both AF and BMI decreased while GPA increased over four years in college. AF was a more salient factor influencing GPA than BMI, which was in line with previous research on the topic.…”

“…Suchert and colleagues longitudinally examined the relationship of AF, BMI, and academic achievement measured by grades in math and German among German adolescents and found that there was a positive correlation between high AF and AA, while the relationship between BMI and AA remains controversial [39]. With respect of tracking changes in AF, BMI, and GPA in college students, the study reported by Meckel and associates found that college students’ AF decreased while the opposite trend was found in BMI [51].…”

Untitled

“…It is necessary motivate today's students to individual fitness and sports. Meanwhile, the existing universities physical education programs are not able to provide the necessary level of physical activity to maintain body weight at the appropriate level (Meckel, Galily, Nemet, et al, 2011). Thus, there is a need to increase interventions aimed at preventing and combating the spread of obesity among the modern schoolchildren and students.…”

Aerobic Fitness Relates to Superior Exact and Approximate Arithmetic Processing in College-Aged Adults

“…Given previous findings demonstrating aerobic fitness-related differences in mathematics achievement (Blom et al, 2011;Castelli et al, 2007;Chomitz et al, 2009;Colquitt et al, 2011;Davis & Cooper, 2011;de Greeff et al, 2014;Desai et al, 2015;Hansen et al, 2014;Rauner et al, 2013) have been primarily derived from studies of school-aged children and adolescents-a population with a high degree of variability in mathematics performance-the present investigation used a smaple of college-aged adults to reduce potential differences in arithmetic processing associated with mathematical competence. In addition, the drastic alterations in physical activity levels and aerobic fitness that can occur during college have the potential to negatively impact academic performance (Kjønniksen et al, 2008;Meckel et al, 2011)-further underscoring the importance of studying the relationship between aerobic fitness and mathematical competence in this population. Accordingly, in a well-powered sample, the present investigation sought to characterize the extent to which aerobic fitness relates to behavioral and pupillometric indices of arithmetic processing to shed light on whether fitness-related differences in mathematics stem from individual differences in cognitive efficiency or cognitive resources.…”