Frequency of Play and Exercise at Preschool and Childhood Ages: Effect on Exercise Habits and Physical Fitness in Adolescence

Takayoshi Yamada^1, , Shinichi Demura² and Shigeru Shimada³

¹Faculty of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan

²Institute of Human and Social Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan

³Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, Fukui University of Technology, Fukui, Japan

Cite this paper:
Takayoshi Yamada, Shinichi Demura and Shigeru Shimada. Frequency of Play and Exercise at Preschool and Childhood Ages: Effect on Exercise Habits and Physical Fitness in Adolescence. Journal of Physical Activity Research. 2019; 4(1):62-66. doi: 10.12691/jpar-4-1-8

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the effect of play frequency and exercise when at preschool and childhood ages on the exercise habits and physical fitness of those who are currently adolescents. Healthy young men (N = 600) from 15 to 21 years old (age: 16.5 ± 1.2 years, height: 171.1 ± 5.7 cm, body mass: 61.0 ± 10.0 kg) participated in the physical fitness test of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) after answering questions about current exercise habits and frequency of play and exercise at their preschool and childhood ages. Significant relationships among frequency of play at preschool age and exercise in childhood and current exercise habits (Cramer’s V = 0.10–0.15, p < 0.028) were observed. Although no significant difference was found in the physique among the four groups, which differed in the frequency of play and exercise in early childhood and childhood, performance on the 50-m dash, standing long jump, handball throw, and 20-m shuttle run were significantly superior in groups with higher frequency of play and exercise. The present results may indicate that frequency of play at preschool age and exercise in childhood significantly affects subsequent exercise habits and physical fitness levels.

Keywords:
play exercise preschool childhood exercise habit physical fitness

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