title: Heart rate response and fitness effects of various types of physical education for 8- to 9-year-old schoolchildren.
abstract: The present study investigated the heart rate (HR) response to various types of physical education (PE) activities for 8- to 9-year-olds (five school classes, n = 93) and the fitness effects of a short-term PE training programme (three of the five classes, n = 59) with high compared to low-to-moderate aerobic intensity. HR was recorded during small-sided indoor soccer (SO), basketball (BB), unihockey (UH), circuit training (CT), walking (W) and Nintendo Wii Boxing (NWB) and Nintendo Wii Tennis (NWT). Maximal HR (HRmax) and physical fitness was determined by the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 Children's test (YYIR1C) test. Following cluster randomisation, three classes were tested before and after 6 wks with 2 × 30 min/wk SO and UH lessons [high-intensity (HI), 2 classes, n = 39] or low-to-moderate intensity PE lessons (CON, 1 class, n = 20). Average HR in SO (76 ± 1% HRmax), BA (77 ± 1% HRmax) and UH (74 ± 1% HRmax) was higher (P < 0.05) than in CT (62 ± 1% HRmax), W (57 ± 1% HRmax), NWB (65 ± 2% HRmax) and NWT (57 ± 1% HRmax). Time with HR > 80% and 90% HRmax, respectively, was higher (P < 0.05) in SO (42 ± 4 and 12 ± 2%), BB (41 ± 5 and 13 ± 3%) and UH (34 ± 3 and 9 ± 2%) than in CT, W and NW (0-5%), with time >80% HRmax being higher (P < 0.05) in SO than UH. After 6 wk, YYIR1C performance was increased (P < 0.05) by 22% in HI (673 ± 57 to 821 ± 71 m), but unaltered in CON (674 ± 88 to 568 ± 81 m). HR 2 min into YYIR1C was lowered (P < 0.05) in HI after 6 wks (92.4 ± 0.8 to 89.1 ± 0.9% HRmax), but not in CON. In conclusion, ball games elicited high aerobic loading for young schoolchildren and a short-term, low-volume ball game PE-intervention improved physical fitness. Traditional PE sessions had no effects on intermittent exercise performance.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Mads
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bendiksen
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hornstrup
authors.forename: Helle
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Clausen
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kloppenborg
authors.forename: Dmitriy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shumikhin
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Horton
authors.forename: Svein
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barene
authors.forename: Sarah R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Jackman
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Krustrup
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003718:Denmark; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students
keywords: Physical education; Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 Children's test; association football; exercise intensity; intermittent exercise performance; sub-maximal heart rate