Improving Physical Health For Underserved Elementary School Children: A Comparison Of Aerobic And Mind-Body Exercise
Claudia (Chunyun) Wang
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Yanbin Hu
Hongtao Li
Keywords: Physical Health, Aerobic exercise, Mind-body exercise, children.
Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to: 1) investigate the physical health benefits of this mind-body exercise among elementary school children and (2) to compare its relative effectiveness with aerobic exercise. Methods: Using a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design, we compare the effects of three different modes of exercise (i.e., aerobic exercise, mind-body exercise, and regular physical education) on improving physical health (n = 110) among underserved elementary school children over a 16-week period. Results: Our study revealed a significant improvement in improving flexibility (p<=.001) and reducing BMI (p<.001) using the repeated measures analysis of variance. A follow-up pair-wise test showed that Health Qigong group resulted in a greater change for improving flexibility from pre-test to post-test with a mean increase of 2.769 inches. BMI decreased more quickly from Health Qigong, with a mean change of .698 (P<.001), than regular P.E. (.224, P<.05) and Energize (.197, P<.05). Conclusion: It appears that Health Qigong can promote cardiovascular health, enhance flexibility, and reduces BMI as well as Energize (aerobic exercise) and regular P.E. activities for elementary school children. The findings underscore the feasibility and affectivity of incorporating Health Qigong into the elementary school curriculum to improve health and increase the physical activity level from an early age.