- Title
- The effect of school-based physical activity interventions on body composition of grade 4 children from lower socio-economic communities in Port Elizabeth
- Creator
- Nqweniso, Siphesihle
- Subject
- Physical fitness for children -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Subject
- Physical education and training Exercise -- Physiological aspects Body composition
- Date Issued
- 2018
- Date
- 2018
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MA
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/33556
- Identifier
- vital:32886
- Description
- South Africa is classified as a low- to middle-income country and is amongst countries affected by the double burden of disease. This double burden may occur in the same household and may be related to food insecurity, nutritional transition and economic inequalities. While the prevalence of underweight has been reduced in the country, stunting and the rise in overweight and obesity in children still remains a problem. The study aimed to determine the effect of various combinations of school-based interventions on the body composition of Grade 4 children from lower socio-economic communities in Port Elizabeth. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted with eight schools which were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n=442) and control group (n=437). A ten-week school-based intervention was implemented, consisting of three components, namely: a physical activity (PA) intervention including physical education lessons, dance-to-music lesson and in-class PA breaks, a health and hygiene education intervention, and a nutrition intervention. Body composition measures, pre- and post the intervention included height, weight and skinfolds (triceps & subscapular). Body mass index (BMI), percentage body fat, and BMI-for-age (BAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), and weight-for-age (WAZ) z-scores were also calculated. Baseline data indicated that Coloured children were more likely to be underweight and stunted than Black African children, who were more likely to be obese. After the ten-week intervention, children exposed to the PA intervention showed significantly (p<.05; d>0.2) lower BF% and higher HAZ scores. The nutrition intervention resulted in significantly (p<.05; d>0.2) higher BMI and BAZ scores, indicating an increase in the prevalence of obesity in children. The health and hygiene education intervention had a significant effect on children’s underweight status (WAZ), showing higher WAZ scores. Findings suggest that participating in various combinations of school-based interventions had beneficial effects on children’s body composition and nutritional status. Therefore, strategies to implement school-based interventions are recommended as a means to improve children’s health status.
- Format
- xvii, 165 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
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NMU School of Lifestyle Sciences
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | SIPHESIHLE NQWENISO.pdf | 3 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |