Effects of physical education and sports program on deaf pupils health-related fitness: a case of Kaaga school for the deaf

Abstract

In this study, the health-related fitness levels of the deaf primary school pupils who participated in an eight week Physical Education and Sports program were measured using the American Alliance for Health,Physical Education, Dance and Recreation Physical Best Test. Kaaga School for the Deaf was purposely selected for the study. The sample comprised pupils in classes five, six and seven. A pre- and post-test design was used A pre-test was carried out two weeks after opening school and a post-test eight weeks later, at the end of the treatment period The dependent variables included low back flexibility, abdominal strength-endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, percent body fat and upper body strength-endurance. The findings on the health-related fitness status of the participants showed that they had a lower fitness level during pre-test as compared to post-test. The study also established that in cardiorespiratory endurance and abdominal strength-endurance, boys performed better than girls. In low back flexibility, both girls and boys demonstrated an improvement at all ages. Results show that the deaf children's health- related fitness is "improved by the Physical Education and Sports Program and indicates that the program could be used for the purposes of enhancing the deaf children's health status at all levels of the education system.