An examination of an 8-week online activity-specific skills program to BMI of local college students

Abstract

Requiring college students to engage in basic resistance training, locomotor, and non-locomotor exercises has shown mixed results in decreasing and improving BMI. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an online activity-specific skills program on college students’ BMI. An experimental research design was employed, with students participating in activity-specific exercises for eight consecutive weeks. Demographic factors, including gender, pre- and post-test BMI, and the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire, were considered. An Independent Sample T-Test was used to determine significant differences in post-test scores based on gender, while a Paired Samples T-Test was used to analyze differences between pre- and post-test scores. The results indicated no significant difference in the pre-test scores. Moreover, after the eight-week activity-specific skills program, there was no significant difference observed between the pre- and post-test scores. The movement patterns taught in PE 1, encompassing locomotor, non-locomotor, and basic resistance training, did not impact students’ body mass indexes. These findings may prompt educators to reassess the effectiveness of current physical education methods or to explore alternative approaches that might be more successful in reducing students’ BMI. As the results are inconclusive, further research with a larger sample size is needed to validate the assertions made in this study.