| Effect of a fun virtual purposeful active play program on children's physical fitness during home quarantine due to the outbreak of Covid-19 |
| Paper ID : 1187-SSRC-13TH |
| Authors |
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Samira Rostami *1, Amin Gholami2 1Department of Biological Sciences in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran 2SSRC, Tehran, Iran |
| Abstract |
| Background: Preschool years are characterized by rapid progression in neuromuscular and motor development. When physical activities are enjoyable and fun, children are encouraged to do them frequently, thus they can achieve important health-related physical fitness gains. However, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the achievement of recommended international guidelines. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a fun virtual purposeful active play program on children's physical fitness during home quarantine due to the outbreak of Covid-19. Materials and Methods: Twenty children 5-6 Yrs. old were selected to participate in the study based on a call posted on different social networks. Subjects were divided into two groups of 10 experimental and control. Modified physical fitness tests were used in the pre-and post-tests, which were performed in person but in accordance with health protocols. The training program was designed based on the three indicators including physical fitness elements and fundamental movement skills and enjoyment. The experimental group trained eight weeks of online sessions (two 60-minute sessions per week) using the Zoom program. Analysis of Covariance method was used to detect differences between groups in the post-test by controlling pre-test scores. Results: The results showed that the training program had a significant effect on improving the mean scores of flexibility, muscle endurance, and hand strength of the experimental group (P<0.05). On the other hand, there was no significant improvement in cardiopulmonary endurance after the program group (P>0.05). Conclusion: These findings clarified that a purposeful active play program can have a positive effect on most elements of physical fitness in children during long periods of sedentary lifestyle. Keywords: Covid 19, Children, Sedentary, Physical; Fitness |
| Keywords |
| Covid 19, Children, Sedentary, Physical, Fitness |
| Status: Abstract Accepted |
