Effects of Daily Physical Education Participation on the Somatic and Motoric Development of Young Students
Effects of Daily Physical Education Participation on the Somatic and Motoric Development of Young Students

Summary/Abstract: Regular physical activity is one of the dominant elements among environmental factors, which promotes young individuals’ healthy somatic and motoric development. In the present investigation it was hypothesized that participation in daily physical education (DPE) has a positive effect on the age-dependent anthropometric and fitness characteristics of primary school boys. The investigation took place in six primary schools in a mid-sized city in Hungary before and four years after the implementation of DPE. Group 1 had three PE lessons a week (n=562) and Group 2 had five PE lessons a week (n=551). According to our results, there were no differences in the BMI between the two groups; however, Group 1 had a significantly higher waist-hip ratio in all age-groups except for the 10-11 age cohort. In the 7-8 age cohort, Group 2 demonstrated significantly better results in the shuttle run test; conversely, in the older age groups Group 1 did significantly better. Altogether, daily PE had an age-dependent effect on the somatic development. Daily PE had a positive protective effect on BMI, the waist-hip ratio of the 10-11 age cohort, and also the fitness level of the 7-8 age cohort. It can be proposed that, through careful planning in DPE, exercise intensity and teaching methodology should be increased in an age-specific manner.

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