The Effects of Increased Physical Activity on Fifth Grade Males [sic] and Females [sic] Students
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Masters of Education
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if fifth grade male and female students would
achieve an increase in Body Mass Index and PACER scores with an increase in physical activity
into their everyday lives. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design of a pre-measure, then
treatment and post-measure. The study involved 25 African-American fifth grade students from
an urban elementary school. The measurement tool was the Fitnessgram PACER test. This study
involved the use of a pre-test/post-test design to compare data from February 2011, to data from
April 2011, after the intervention. Achievement gains were not significant, though the results
could be attributable to a number of intervening factors. The results of this study did not support
the hypothesis that increasing physical activities benefits an individual’s BMI and PACER
scores. Research in the area of childhood obesity should continue given the latest documentation
on the increase in the number of children that are considered overweight and obese for their age
in this country and the discussion as to what are the best practices to provide remediation and
deceleration to this growing epidemic.