The Effects of Exercise on Weight among School Children in Amai Ukwuani, Delta State Nigeria

Abstract

The study was carried out to determine the effect of exercise on the body among primary school pupils in Amai. Fifty school pupils were selected from Gods will school for the study. Twenty-five of the pupils engaged in exercise (jogging of 400 meters) for 10 consecutive days. While the remaining twenty-five pupils did not exercise. The weights of the pupils were taken for the 10 days. The result showed that at the end of day 5, majority of the pupils who exercised reduced weight by at least 1kg and at the end of day 10, no pupils added an extra kg of weight. The mean weight lost by the pupils who exercised was 3.04kg. the result also showed that all the pupils who did not exercise kept on adding weight from Day1 till the Day 10. The mean weight gained by pupils who did not exercise was 3.44kg. However, the body mass index of the pupils indicated that none was overweight or obese. This study has shown that regular physical exercise is an important way of controlling weight. Physical exercise should be a part of the curriculum in all schools as childhood obesity is becoming rampant and an issue of global concern due to its health hazards.