Childhood Obesity and Fitnessgram Testing - Thesis Example

Childhood Obesity and Fitness Gram Testing Results The research administered the Fitnessgram to the 43 sampled Alcovy High School students in order to establish if the pacer activity and the Fitnessgram would enhance their body mass index (BMI). The study used both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The research employed the use of quantitative methods to focus and deduce on discovering the reality of the objective. The quantitative data helped in calculating the BMI of each student and a t-test that compared the groups. The research used qualitative methods to assess the way participants viewed the Fitnessgram assessment as a way of improving the BMI of high school students. The research conducted the Fitnessgram assessment and gave the students the results. The intervention period was six weeks which, lessons and results were delivered focussing on the five fitness components with an aim of improving the BMI of the participants. The research affirmed that teachers can implement this assessment tool to act and operate as an instructional instrument. The assessment tool helps teachers to design a significant curriculum that will assist them to meet the needs of their students where they show deficiency. The qualitative sample showed that the students that are in the intervention group have a positive view on the Fitnessgram assessment and its ability to enhance their BMI. The Fitnessgram makes students aware of the level of their fitness and design ways to maintain it. The research showed that if students show a full strength on the five components of the assessment tool (aerobic capacity, abdominal strength, flexibility, body composition, and upper body strength), they can be termed as physical fit. When a student is fit in these five key areas, then the student is healthy, active, and fully operation member of the society. The project showed that the tool served the five principal goals and improved the health outcomes and fitness levels of the sampled students. It also provided Georgia with a longitudinal data that they can develop self-assessment techniques that they can know their fitness level, use fitness information to develop instructional programs and decisions, and develop a long-time activity for their students. Findings Each participant in the sample was given a BMI test as a pre-test at the beginning of the study before the intervention period started. The analysis of the t test and the means for the independent samples showed that the participants in the sample were statistically identical (refer to table 1). The BMI pre-and post-tests were entered using the BMI calculator to establish accuracy among the sampled tests. Table 1 Means and t Tests for the Body Mass Index (BMI) Pretest and Posttest Assessment Intervention Control t BMI Pretest Mean 24.578 23.729 .4133* SD 6.671 6.652 BMI Posttest Mean 24.444 24.00 .2192* SD 6.624 6.427 Note: Maximum scores for pre and posttests = 100. df = 42 Control n = 28 Intervention n = 29 *p > .05 During the research period, the control group took part in personal fitness activities. The Control Group was given pre and post-tests. However, they did not receive the pacer activity and fitness assessment. The researcher gave the students Fitnessgram suggestions that saw them develop various fitness areas. In week 2, a lesson plan was developed involving pacer activity and Fitnessgram assessments. Students kept logs that showed their daily physical activity. This is vital in keeping the students excited about their different fitness activities. During the sixth week of the research, the researcher calculated the BMI measurement of the sampled students. The pretests were administered to the Intervention and Control Groups. The researcher conducted a post-test and a student and teacher’s survey after completing various Fitnessgram assessments and the pacer activities. The scores of the students were entered into the database and the researcher printed out the reports that have the recommendations. Each participant received the reports with recommendations from the researcher. The researcher developed various lesson plans, which concentrated on fitness components. The lessons that were assessed during the intervention period included whole group training, circuit training, and team sports. Students stored their Fitnessgram report and their activity log in their notebook. This was significant for the students because they could easily refer to their recommendations and their score. The research summarized each lesson with a briefing session and reflected on the various activities of the day and how each fitness component impacted their activities. Week three saw the BMI of the students being determined for the post-test. The data collected were determined and compared using t-test for the independent samples. Table 1 indicates that the Control and the Intervention Groups are not significantly different, and the result does not support the researched hypothesis “Fitnessgram® assessment and the use of the pacer activity will improve high school students BMI.” The local physical educators and participants completed the perception study when the intervention concluded. The Excel shows the data that were collected and analysed from the teacher and student survey. The responses from each statement were tallied, and then compared to the entire data to establish the percentage of students and teachers who gave each response. All sampled participants in the intervention group participated in the perception survey. High School Student Obesity and Fitnessgram Assessments Survey for the Teacher Circle One: Gender: Male or Female Degree: Bachelor’s Master’s Specialist Doctorate Years of Experience: 0 – 5, 6 – 11, 12 – 15, 16 – 25, 25 plus Scale of Answers: 1. Strongly Agree 2. Agree 3. Disagree 4. Strongly Disagree Table 2 Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Fitnessgram assessment helps me design physical education lessons for my classes. 60% 0% 0% 40% I like performing the Fitnessgram assessment with my students. 100% O% O% O% I look forward to assessing the different results of the students taking the Fitnessgram assessment. 60% O% O% 40% I often participate in physical exercises. 20% 60% 0% 20% I always implement the suggestions from Fitnessgram findings to improve physical health principles for my students. 40% 20% 0% 40% The Fitnessgram assessment method is the best way of determining the overall physical health of my students. 60% O% O% 40% The Fitnessgram assessment is a good method that students can use to appraise their Body Mass Index (BMI). 80% 0% O% 2O% I feel prepared to be a physical fitness instructor for the students. 20% 80% O% O% I believe that I can help students achieve a good balance in Body Mass Index (BMI). 80% 20% O% O% When planning, I use the Fitnessgram criteria to determine exercises that will be used in class to improve Body Mass Index (BMI). 20% 20% O% 60% Once the survey was completed, the data was entered in the Excel in table 2. The responses of each survey were tallied and the results established that there was a positive perception. However, some participants in the survey had a mixed feeling towards the effectiveness of the program towards improving the BMI of their students. The results of the teacher survey was positive showing 60% of the participants responded that the Fitnessgram assessment helped them design physical education for their classes, while 40% of the participants responded saying that the program did not help them design physical education lessons for their classes. 100% of the participants responded that they enjoyed performing the Fitnessgram. Sixty percent responded that they looked forward to assessing the various results of their students who are taking the assessment program, while 40% of the responded that they did not look forward to assessing the results of their students taking the program. Twenty percent of the participants strongly agreed that they take part in various physical activities, 60% agreed that they take part in physical activities, and 20% of the participants strongly disagreed that they do not take part in physical activities. Sixty percent of the teachers strongly agreed that the Fitnessgram assessment method was the best way that they can use to determine the general physical health of their students, while 40% strongly responded that the method is not the best way to use when they want to determine the physical health of their students. Eighty percent of the participants strongly agreed that the Fitnessgram assessment is a good way their students can use in appraising their BMI while 20% strongly disagreed. Finally, eighty percent of the teachers strongly agreed that they can achieve a good balance in BMI using the assessment tool and 20% agreed that the same. Table 3 Students Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree I enjoy the activities in the Fitnessgram assessment. 40% 30% 20% 10% The Fitnessgram assessment helped me understand and determine my current fitness level. 50% 30% 20% 0% I look forward to receiving the Fitnessgram results. 30% 50% 10% 10% I use Fitnessgram findings to determine a better way to develop my physical health. 40% 40% 20% 0% I am a physically active individual. 40% 40% 0% 10% The Fitnessgram assessment is important for students to measure levels of their Body Mass Index (BMI). 40% 40% 10% 10% I feel I have all the tools I need to be physically fit. 30% 60% 0% 10% I am always able to control or affect my Body Mass Index (BMI). 40% 60% 0% 0% During workouts sessions, I can improve my Body Mass Index (BMI) by using things I learned from the Fitnessgram. 40% 50% 0% 10% The tabled that were collected from the survey of the students were analyzed in table 3. The responses were compared to the entire data to establish the percentage of students in the survey. The intervention participants also took the perception survey. The conducted survey result was positive with 40% of the participants agreed strongly that they enjoyed the activities in the Fitnessgram assessment, 30% agreed that they enjoyed the assessment, 20% responded that they did not enjoy the activities, and 10% strongly disagreed to enjoy the activities in the assessment. Fifty percent of the respondents affirmed that the Fitnessgram assessment helped them understand and know their fitness level, while 30% agreed that the assessment helped them understand their levels of fitness. However, 20% disagreed that the assessment helped them to know their fitness level. The participants looked forward to reading the results of the Fitnessgram as 30% strongly agreed that they looked forward for the results. Fifty percent agreed that they looked forward to the results, while 10% were not looking forward to receiving the results, and 10% strongly disagreed to waiting for the assessment results. Forty percent of the participants strongly agreed that it is important to measure their BMI and another 40% agreed that it is important to measure their BMI. However, 10% disagreed and 10% strongly disagreed that it is important to know their BMI. A great number of students said that they have the necessary tools that they need to keep physically fit as 30% strongly agreed that they have the tools to keep fit, and another 60% agreed to have the tools. However, 10% of the students strongly disagreed to having the tools that enable them keep fit. The students generally could control their BMI with 40% strongly agreeing that they can control their BMI while another 60% agreeing to control their BMI. Finally, 40% of the students strongly agreed that they can increase their BMI by using the tools they learnt during the workout sessions, while 50% agreed that the same. But, 10% strongly disagreed that they increased their BMI using the tools that they used during the workout sessions. The participants recorded an overall positive perception of the assessment program. Discussion The researcher performed the research with an aim of establishing if the Fitnessgram assessment program would enhance the BMI of high school students. The research had formulated questions that were given to teachers and students. The researcher formulated the student questions to determine if the assessment improved the attitudes of the students. The teachers’ survey was used to determine their perception of the assessment program as it is linked to the BMI of their students. The data provided in the research did not support the hypotheses. Table 1 of the research, the t-test shows that there is a significant difference between the control and the intervention groups away from improving the participants BMI. The results were affected by time limitations. The research took six weeks that were very instructional, and some students did not attend or participate in the research. The researcher recorded a slight improvement in the BMI of both groups, but due to the limitations experienced, the researcher could not make a major statistical difference in the recordings. The student’s survey showed a general positive view of the assessment program and the ability to enhance BMI. The surveyed teachers recorded a positive attitude towards the program and some participants had mixed feelings on the effectiveness of the program to improve students’ BMI. One of the principal reasons that the researcher established for the mixed reaction was due to the inadequate development of the curriculum relating to the assessment program. Some teachers do not have a positive attitude towards the program because their class rosters were not uploaded in the right time. This hindered the teachers to enter names in the scores and they could not analyze their data. The researcher recorded positive feedback from the sampled students, and mixed results from the sampled teachers due to lack of adequate knowledge. Conclusions The data collected showed improvement of the BMI for both the Intervention and Control Groups. Although the Intervention group recorded a higher gain in their BMI than the Control groups, it must be noted that it is a gain. The assessment program aims at improving the fitness level of participants, attitude, and their BMI levels, and the research achieved this by recording a slight degree in all the participants. Although time was a constraint in this study, researches by Jackson, Mood, and Morrow (2007), Berg (2010), and Jacobson and Krebs (2008) showed that with time, the BMI of adolescents is significant in girls who are active. The researcher established that time is one of the greatest factors in analyzing the BMI of both groups. Nicholas et al., (2009) and Jackson and Krebs (2008) indicate that various physical activities improves the functioning of the brain and enhances better cognitive benefits. Berg (2010) affirms that students with physical education scores higher marks in areas when they are given academic tests. Hillman et al., (2008) discovered that there is a strong connection between cognition function and physical activity. The researcher had this theory in mind and believed that all of the sampled teachers would have a positive in the Fitnessgram assessment. However, technology and ability to present data played a big role in the teachers having mixed reactions in the assessment program. Suggestions for Further Research Should someone decide to conduct an extensive study on the Fitnessgram assessment, he or she must make several recommendations concerning the improvement of BMI and the teachers’ and students’ attitude regarding the assessment. The researcher must ensure that he or she have ample time to conduct and carry out the study. BMI assessment requires sufficient time to produce effective result. The six weeks is not enough to record significant weight loss. To register an observable weight loss, more time is needed to conduct the research. The research needs at least one year to collect and record BMI scores and the exact readings of the perceptions of the students and their teachers. The teachers would rate their perceptions on the assessment program when they are given more time to study the assessment program. The research must be repeated with various populations and in grade levels over duration to study the effect of knowledge and physical activity proving that the Fitnessgram assessment improves BMI of the students. In conclusion, it would be appropriate to include an equal number of age, race, socio-economic, and gender in both the two groups. The assessment program would focus on the various physical activity skills that are recorded over a long duration of time that shows the intervention will concentrate and take activity in the log routines, recording times daily, as well as recording what they eat, while the control group is instructed to live their lives normally. The researcher will surely determine the exact result of their hypothesis and prove that the intervention that is used adds to the students’ knowledge and improving their BMI entry over time. References . Read More