An Observational Study to Determine and Compare Effects of Various Physical Test Components on BMI of School Going Children

Introduction

Physical fitness is the most important factor in development of physical responses to exercises during the childhood years. Lack of exercise is directly related to various health problems like obesity, hypertension, or cardiovascular diseases [1]. Regular physical activity in children improves physical fitness, which helps in prevention of childhood obesity. Obesity is one of the most prevalent nutritional disease in children & adolescents in India. Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health. The prevalence of obesity in children has been increasing in last few decades especially in developing countries like India, this ratio has increased to 8% - 12% for boys and 8%- 13% for girls [2]. Excess body weight in childhood and adolescence is associated with a higher risk of developing non- communicable diseases such as diabetes at younger age.

The specific causes of overweight and obesity in childhood is complex, but despite the consideration of genetic & physiologic aspects a reduction in physical activities, an increased amount of time devoted to sedentary lifestyle plays crucial role in the development of obesity. People are generally considered obese when their Body Mass Index (BMI), is over 30 Kg/m2, with the range 25-30 Kg/m2 defined as overweight. Obesity increases the likelihood of various health problems particularly heart diseases, Type 2 diabetes, certain type of cancer & osteoarthritis in later stage of life [3]. Body mass index (BMI) is a statistical measurement derived from height & weight of an individual. It is the most widely used tool in evaluating a person's health status.BMI value is used to determine whether the individual has acceptable body weight, overweight or obese. BMI value from 15-25 represents no excess mortality risk and over 40 a high risk of great mortality [4]. BMI can be calculated by following equation:

BMI = weight (kg)/height (m²)

The most common cause of obesity is excessive food intake, lack of physical activity & genetic susceptibility [5].

It has been noted that good cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength & flexibility have a preventive role in childhood obesity [6]. Various physical tests have been suggested in order to improve cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength & flexibility. These physical tests are 20-m shuttle run test to assess cardiovascular fitness, curl-up test to assess muscular strength and sit & reach test to assess muscular flexibility of an individual.

Aerobic (cardiovascular) fitness is one of the most important component of physical fitness. Cardiovascular fitness is measured as the amount of oxygen transported in the blood & pumped by the heart to working muscles. Increasing cardiovascular fitness means increasing the capability of the heart & the rest of the cardiovascular system to supply oxygen & energy to your body. The 20-m shuttle run test is simple, easy to administer & not too time-consuming, it requires minimal equipment, and a large number of individuals can be tested simultaneously [7].

Muscular strength refers to the ability of contractile tissue to produce tension & a resultant force based on the demands placed on the muscle. The abdominal/trunk region have been selected as areas for testing because of their perceived relationship to activities of daily living, correct posture & well-functioning back. The curl-up test is a safer & more effective test since it does not involve the assistance of hip flexor muscle & minimizes compression in the spine.

Muscular flexibility is defined as ability to move a single joint or series of joints smoothly & easily through an unrestricted, pain-free ROM. Flexibility allows the participant to move through a full range of motion. The sit & reach test is a common measure of flexibility, and specifically measures the flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles. It is an easy and quick test to perform & not too time consuming, it requires minimal equipment.

Thus the objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the physical fitness and BMI of school going children.

Materials & Methods

Source of data: SDA High school, Surat Study design: An observational study Sample size: 100 school going children of 8th& 9th standard

Results

To verify the hypothesis, Q1 and Q3 of BMI were calculated. Q1 score of BMI was 18.35 & Q3 score of BMI is 24.9. The entire 100 sample are divided into 3 groups on basis of calculated quartile deviations (Q1 & Q3). Subjects having BMI values between Q1 & Q3 were put in the middle group (N=35). Subjects possessing BMI values more than Q3 were put in the high BMI group (N=30) while those having BMI values less than Q1 were assigned to the low BMI (N=35).

In order to find out the significance of differences between low BMI, middle BMI and high BMI of school going children means, standard deviation sand p-value were computed. The level of significance was set as p≤0.05 and data pertaining to this have been presented in Tables 1 to 4.

It is evident from table 2, that there is a statistically significant difference found between middle BMI & high BMI groups on curl-up test, sit & reach test and beep test components of physical fitness, as obtained p-values of <0.0001, 0.008 & 0.0002 respectively, which was significant.

It is evident from table 3, that there is a statistically significant difference found between low BMI & high BMI groups on curl-up test, sit & reach test and beep test components of physical fitness, as obtained p-values of <0.0001, 0.002 &<0.001 respectively, which was significant.

It is evident from table 4, that there is statistically significant difference found between low BMI & middle BMI on curl-up test & beep test components of physical fitness whereas non-significant difference was found on sit & reach test, as obtained p-value for curl-up test & beep test was <0.0001 and 0.0003 respectively which was significant and p-value for sit & reach test was 0.51 which was non-significant.

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5 $$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \mathrm {B} ^ {2} $$

$$ \square $$ $$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \mathrm {B} ^ {2} $$ $$ \square $$ $$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \mathrm {B} ^ {2} $$

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

$$ \mathrm {E} = \mathrm {E} _ {1} + \mathrm {E} _ {2} + \dots + \mathrm {E} _ {n} $$ $$ | $$

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$$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \mathrm {B} ^ {2} $$

$$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {B} ^ {2} + \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {C} ^ {2} $$ $$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \mathrm {B} ^ {2} $$ $$ I = \frac {1}{2} \pi R ^ {2} h $$ $$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \mathrm {B} ^ {2} $$ -5 Curl-up Test Sit & Reach Beep Test Test Figure 2: Comparison between low & high BMI groups.

3.62 4.42 3.68 2.78 $$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \mathrm {B} ^ {2} $$ $$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \mathrm {B} ^ {2} $$ $$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \mathrm {B} ^ {2} $$ $$ \mathrm {E} = \frac {1}{2} \mathrm {A} ^ {2} + \mathrm {B} ^ {2} $$ LowMiddle LowMiddle LowMiddle Curl-up Test Sit & Reach Test Beep Test Figure 3: Comparison between low & middle BMI groups.

Discussion

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between physical fitness and BMI of school going children.

Findings of descriptive data of school going children belonging to 8th and 9th grade (Boys and Girls) of low BMI, middle BMI and high BMI on various physical test components indicated that difference exists among 3 different BMI groups. Children with low and middle BMI group performed better on physical test components compared to high BMI group. However significant higher activity levels were observed in low BMI group and middle BMI group than high BMI group.

The result of this study showed that low BMI group children having more muscular strength & endurance level compared to middle BMI group children whereas in flexibility, both groups are somewhat equal. Middle BMI students showed more muscular strength, flexibility and endurance in comparison with high BMI students whereas students with low BMI showed high level of muscular strength & endurance in comparison with middle BMI. Low BMI students showed high level of muscular strength, flexibility and endurance in comparison with high BMI students. The students with less BMI would show high physical fitness. High BMI students showed low level of muscular strength, flexibility and endurance in comparison with low BMI & middle BMI group students.

Nowadays, children spend lot of time in using computers and playing during free period of time or even in their weekends instead of being active or performing outdoor activities or sports. Inactive lifestyle is responsible to cause many health related complications in later stage of life.

Staying active means keeping your body functioning at a high level. Regular exercise will maintain the performance of your lungs and heart to most efficiently burn off excess calories and keep your weight under control. Exercise will also improve muscle strength, increase joint flexibility and improve endurance. In general meaning, physical fitness is a general state of a good physical health. Obtaining a physical fitness is a result of certain great physical activity, proper nutrition and diet and most important is the proper course of physical recovery which is rest. In a nutshell, physical fitness is the fine- tuning of the human body to perform and work well. Another main benefit of physical activity is that it decreases the risk of heart disease. Additionally, it can decrease your risk of stroke, colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Additionally there is a subsidiary recommendation for activities which help children to enhance muscular strength and flexibility.

Limitations

• Participants in this study attended the same school;

thus, the population may be more homogenous.

• Participants represented a narrow age further limiting the generalizability of the findings.
• In sit & reach test, score may be differ due to variations in arm, leg and trunk length, it can make comparisons between individuals misleading. This test is specific to the ROM, muscles & joints of lower back and hamstring. It may not be relevant to other parts of the body.
• In beep test, practice & motivation levels can influence the score attained. As the test is often conducted outside, the environmental conditions can affect the results.

Conclusion

This study concluded that low BMI group children & middle BMI group children were found to be better in muscular strength, flexibility and endurance level compared to the high BMI group children.