The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Body Composition and Muscle Strength of Female Students at Elementary Schools of Ali Abad Katoul in 2018

Abstract

Background: Physical activity stimulates the growth rate and reduces the risk factors of human health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise on the body composition and muscle strength of elementary school female students. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 42 elementary school female students at Ali Abad Katoul city of Golestan Province, Iran in 2018. The samples were randomly divided in two groups including intervention and control. Data collection tool included body composition, and leg and chest pressing device. The exercise protocol contained various aerobic exercises for four weeks, three sessions per week, each session takes 45 minutes. Pre-test and post-test measurements were made by body composition, and leg and chest pressing device in both control and intervention groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16 using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (independent and paired t-test). Results: The results of the test group indicated the average height of 152.79, standard deviation of 10.25, and so average weight of 49.28 and standard deviation of 12.86. The results showed that a four-week aerobic training period had no significant effect on the body composition and upper body muscle strength of female students (P=0.83), but this training course significantly increased the lower body muscle strength of female students in the intervention group (P=0.01). Conclusion: Considering the effect of a four-week aerobic training course on lower body muscle strength of students, it is suggested that sport teachers use these types of exercises to increase the muscle strength of students.