Assessment of Health Related Physical Fitness and Motor Skill Ability of 9-11 Year Old School Children in Nairobi County, Kenya
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Date
2016
Authors
Odindo, Francis Okinda
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Physical activity (PA) is recognized as an important determinant for chronic lifestyle
diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) PA is one of the major
underlying causes of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) leading to significant global
burden of death, disease and disability among children and adults. There are many factors
that influence PA among school children, including physical fitness and motor skill
development. Health-related physical fitness includes cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular
strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition. Motor skills include elements of
locomotor and object-control movements. The aim of the study was to assess health-related
physical fitness components and motor skill ability among 9-11 year old school children
in Nairobi County, Kenya. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used. A total
of 199 (106 female and 93 male) school children were tested. The following variables were
measured using standardized procedures, children’s height and weight, low back
flexibility, muscular strength, static abdominal muscular endurance, aerobic fitness and
motor skill ability. These factors are thought to influence the quantity and quality of PA
thus justifying their inclusion. The study targeted school children in both public (n=104)
and private schools (n=95). Ethical clearance was obtained from the Kenyatta University
Ethics Review Board. Research permits were obtained from the Ministry of Education and
Nairobi City Council. Consent was sought from the parents of children who took part in
the study, the children also provided assent to participate. Data were analyzed using
descriptive statistics using SPSS version 17.0. Independent T-tests were used to compare
differences in the means of variables. Chi-square tests were used to establish the
relationship between categorical variables. BMI cut-offs were based on the recommended
2010 WHO international cut-offs. The results have been presented in tables. A p-value of
0.05 was considered significant. The average age was 9.9 years. Aerobic endurance was
significantly associated with sex (p=0.004 [χ 2 = 13.396]) with boys performing better than
girls. Flexibility was significantly associated with sex p<0.0001 (χ 2 = 25.33), girls were
more flexible than boys. Children with good motor skill ability were the more physically
fit compared to their counterparts. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 24.2%.
Males showed a better motor performance than females. Regarding motor skills, 28.6% of
the children were at the beginning level, 55.3% progressing, only 4% and 3% were
achieving and excelling respectively. 38.2% had very low cardiovascular fitness, 31.7%
progressing, 11.6% were achieving and 9.5% excelled, 46.2% had low torso muscular
endurance while only 2.5% were excelling. Overall, the children had average scores in
motor skill ability, aerobic endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, and body
composition. Their performance in flexibility was above average. Improving children's
motor skill ability may be a good target for increasing PA in youth. A longitudinal study
exploring the relationship between changes in health-related fitness and motor skill ability
should be carried out so as to establish the effect of time on the variables. Also, a similar
study targeting rural children and peri-urban kids could also be interesting.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Science in exercise and sports science in the school of applied human sciences, Kenyatta University, June, 2016