what is physical fitness in essay

Essay on Physical Fitness

Students are often asked to write an essay on Physical Fitness in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Physical Fitness

What is physical fitness.

Physical fitness is about having a body that can do many activities without getting too tired. It means your heart, muscles, and bones are strong. When you are fit, you can run, jump, and play without feeling out of breath quickly.

Why is Fitness Important?

Being fit is good for your health. It helps you stay away from sickness. Kids who are fit can focus better in school. It also makes you feel happy and gives you more energy to enjoy life.

How to Get Fit

To get fit, you should be active. Run, swim, or play sports. Also, eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains. Drink plenty of water and sleep well to help your body grow strong.

Staying Safe While Exercising

When you exercise, it’s important to be safe. Wear the right shoes and clothes. Start slow and learn the right way to move. Always listen to your body and rest if you feel pain or are very tired.

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250 Words Essay on Physical Fitness

Physical fitness means being in good health and shape. It’s when your body can do activities like running, jumping, and playing games without getting too tired quickly. Being fit is important for everyone, no matter how old they are. It helps us stay strong and healthy.

Parts of Physical Fitness

There are two main parts of being fit: aerobic fitness and muscle strength. Aerobic fitness is about how well your heart and lungs work when you exercise. When you can run for a long time without stopping, that’s good aerobic fitness. Muscle strength is when your muscles can lift things or do work without getting tired fast.

Why Being Fit Matters

Being fit is great for your body. It helps you not get sick often and can make you feel happier. When you’re fit, you can play with your friends and not feel like you need to stop and rest all the time. It also means you might not get hurt as often.

Getting fit can be fun. You can play sports, dance, swim, or even just go for walks. Eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables helps too. It’s important to exercise a few times a week and not sit around too much.

Staying Fit

Once you’re fit, you have to keep exercising to stay that way. It’s like a game where you have to keep practicing to be good at it. Remember to stay active and eat well, and being fit will become a part of your life.

500 Words Essay on Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is about keeping your body in good shape. It means having the energy and strength to do daily activities without getting too tired. Just like a car needs fuel and a good engine to run smoothly, your body needs healthy food and exercise to work well.

Why is Being Fit Important?

Being fit is key to a happy and healthy life. When you are fit, you can play, run, and do your school work better. Your body fights off sickness easier, and you feel good about yourself. It’s not just about how you look; it’s about taking care of your body so that it can take care of you.

Types of Fitness

Fitness is not just one thing. There are different types, like strength, which lets you lift things; endurance, which is the power to keep going without stopping; flexibility, which helps you move your body in different ways; and balance, which keeps you from falling. Doing a mix of activities that help all these areas is the best way to stay fit.

Getting fit can be fun. You can play sports like soccer or basketball, swim, dance, or even just walk or bike around your neighborhood. It’s important to find activities you enjoy so that you will keep doing them. Try to move your body for at least an hour every day. This doesn’t have to be all at once; it can be spread out through the day.

Eating Right

Eating healthy foods helps your fitness too. Imagine your body is like a plant. Plants need water and good soil to grow. Your body needs healthy food and water to grow strong and stay fit. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins, and drink lots of water. Try to eat less junk food, which is like giving your plant the wrong kind of soil.

Rest and Sleep

Rest is just as important as exercise. Your body needs to sleep and take breaks to rebuild and get ready for the next day. Make sure you get enough sleep each night. This helps your body heal and gives you the energy to be active and fit.

Staying Motivated

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on track with fitness. Setting goals can help. Maybe you want to be able to run a mile without stopping or learn a new sport. Write down your goals and how you plan to reach them. Celebrate when you meet them, and set new ones.

Physical fitness is a big part of a healthy life. It keeps your body strong and gives you the energy to do all the things you love. Remember, being fit isn’t just about how you look. It’s about taking good care of your body by moving around, eating well, resting, and setting goals to keep yourself motivated. Start taking steps towards being fit today, and your body will thank you for years to come.

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Importance of Physical Fitness Essay

People all over the world are becoming fitness conscious as they have realized that it is the most important and have shifted their priorities from everything else to keep them fit and fine as healthy with wealth. Regular exercise has several benefits it helps the body to get into the desired shape and develops resistance power from gaining additional and excessive weight. It helps a person safe from diseases such as obesity, blood pressure, heart diseases, and high cholesterol. Furthermore, an activity also helps in reducing depression and insomnia by enhancing sleeping routines. Also, such activity is known to produce positive vibes inside a person which in turn increases the person’s confidence. (Hardcastle, 2006)

Fitness training fine-tunes the muscles using and burning calories in the body which also increases the metabolic rate in the body. While an inactive person will have his or her body losing its muscles decreasing the metabolism of the body, resulting in concentration of calories and formation of fat and the person gains weight. Exercises like walking, jogging, running, swimming, doing push-ups and pull-ups, running up a flight of stairs, doing crunches, cycling, etc. not only helps a person maintain an outer strong and toned look but it also help the organs like heart, lungs, liver and other to function properly while giving mental peace. (Hasselfors, Hans, n.d.)

For the community, there can be several initiatives taken to help people exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet. Being a nutritionist advisor, I can guide people on what types of food are healthy and which types of foods should be avoided. As a social welfare worker, I can organize marathons for social causes where people can participate in the form of marathon exercises and also serve a more worldly cause. By adopting an educationist’s role, I can educate the positive aspects of personal fitness and make people aware of the negatives of not exercising. Also, I can start dancing lessons for young boys and girls where from an early stage not only children learn to dance but also learn to exercise. Furthermore, I can become a sport’s proponent where teaching people to play sports will also help them increase their activity and become fit. (Personal Health Zone, 2009)

The most common type of exercise is walking or running. From a casual stroll to a paced walk every day works the muscles relentlessly. Yet another popular exercise common amongst the younger people is playing sports since most sports involve running and stretching out the body muscles. Aerobics or even dancing is a type of exercise that is fun yet physically strengthening. Although swimming might fall under the banner of sports, most people swim to relax in the water and have a good time, and can exercise their body at the same time. For the more body-conscious people, bodybuilding is a set of exercises that strengthens the muscles by picking weights and putting regular pressure. Carrying excessive loads from to and fro also is a form of exercise. Furthermore, in a computer-related work environment, where repetitive strain injury (RSI) is quite common, people should take regular breaks and stretch out their muscles. People recommend the use of machines available in gymnasiums to flex their muscles. Yet another method of exercising is cycling either on a bicycle or a gymnasium machine. (ADAM, 2004)

Active people tend to outlive those who are inactive. In case of being physically inactive for a long time and then taking drastic measures to lose weight to achieve a good result is not an efficient way, as it will not have a lifelong effect on the body. It is rather recommended to consult the physician and go slowly and step-wise. Alongside maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy food, avoiding junk and fast food, and exercising regularly mainly in the early morning and late evening as these are the effective times for exercising.

ADAM (2004). Exercise . Web.

Hardcastle, J. (2006). The Importance of Physical Fitness .

Hasselfors, H. (N.D) Fitness Training. Web.

Personal Health Zone (2009). Health and Fitness . Web.

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Health and Fitness Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on health and fitness.

We have always heard the word ‘health’ and ‘fitness’. We use it ourselves when we say phrases like ‘health is wealth’ and ‘fitness is the key’. What does the word health really mean? It implies the idea of ‘being well’. We call a person healthy and fit when he/she function well physically as well as mentally.

Factors Affecting our Health and Fitness

Good health and fitness is not something which one can achieve entirely on our own. It depends on their physical environment and the quality of food intake. We live in villages, towns, and cities.

In such places, even our physical environment affects our health. Therefore, our social responsibility of pollution-free environment directly affects our health. Our day-to-day habits also determine our fitness level. The quality of food, air, water all helps in building our fitness level.

Role of Nutritious Diet on our Health and Fitness

The first thing about where fitness starts is food. We should take nutritious food. Food rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates is very essential. Protein is necessary for body growth. Carbohydrates provide the required energy in performing various tasks. Vitamin and minerals help in building bones and boosting our immune system.

However, taking food in uneven quantity is not good for the body. Taking essential nutrients in adequate amount is called a balanced diet. Taking a balanced diet keep body and mind strong and healthy. Good food helps in better sleep, proper brain functioning and healthy body weight.

Include vegetables, fruits, and pulses in daily diet. One must have a three-course meal. Having roughage helps in cleaning inner body organs. Healthy food habit prevents various diseases. Reducing the amount of fat in the diet prevents cholesterol and heart diseases.

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Impact of Exercise on our Health

Routine exercise helps improve our muscle power. Exercise helps in good oxygen supply and blood flow throughout the body. Heart and lungs work efficiently. Our bones get strong and joints have the pain free movement.

We should daily spend at least twenty minutes in our exercise. Daily morning walk improves our fitness level. We should avoid strenuous Gym activities. Exercise burns our fat and controls the cholesterol level in the body. Various outdoor games like cricket, football, volleyball, etc keeps our body fit. Regular exercise maintains our body shape.

Meditation, Yoga, and Health

Meditation and yoga are part of our life from ancient time. They not only make us physically fit but mentally strong as well. Meditation improves our concentration level. Our mind gets relaxed and thinking becomes positive.

A healthy mind is key for a healthy body. Yoga makes us stressfree and improves the endurance power of the mind. Yoga controls our blood pressure. With yoga, a strong bond with nature is established. Meditation is considered the best way to fight depression.

A person stays happier when he/she is fit and healthy. A fit and healthy person is less prone to chronic diseases. The healthy mind reacts better in a pressure situation. The self-confidence of a person is increased. Risk of heart failure is reduced drastically. With the increased immunity power body could fight cancerous cells. The intensity of the fracture is decreased with regular exercise.

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Physical Activity and Sports—Real Health Benefits: A Review with Insight into the Public Health of Sweden

Christer malm.

1 Sports Medicine Unit, Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden; [email protected]

Johan Jakobsson

Andreas isaksson.

2 Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Solna, Sweden; [email protected]

Positive effects from sports are achieved primarily through physical activity, but secondary effects bring health benefits such as psychosocial and personal development and less alcohol consumption. Negative effects, such as the risk of failure, injuries, eating disorders, and burnout, are also apparent. Because physical activity is increasingly conducted in an organized manner, sport’s role in society has become increasingly important over the years, not only for the individual but also for public health. In this paper, we intend to describe sport’s physiological and psychosocial health benefits, stemming both from physical activity and from sport participation per se. This narrative review summarizes research and presents health-related data from Swedish authorities. It is discussed that our daily lives are becoming less physically active, while organized exercise and training increases. Average energy intake is increasing, creating an energy surplus, and thus, we are seeing an increasing number of people who are overweight, which is a strong contributor to health problems. Physical activity and exercise have significant positive effects in preventing or alleviating mental illness, including depressive symptoms and anxiety- or stress-related disease. In conclusion, sports can be evolving, if personal capacities, social situation, and biological and psychological maturation are taken into account. Evidence suggests a dose–response relationship such that being active, even to a modest level, is superior to being inactive or sedentary. Recommendations for healthy sports are summarized.

1. Introduction

Sport is a double-edged sword regarding effects on health. Positive effects are achieved primarily through physical activity, which is the main part of most sports. Many secondary effects of sport also bring health benefits, such as psychosocial development of both young [ 1 ] and old [ 2 ], personal development [ 3 ], later onset, and less consumption of alcohol [ 4 , 5 ]. Finally, those who play sports have a higher level of physical activity later in life [ 6 ], and through sport, knowledge of nutrition, exercise, and health can be developed [ 7 ]. Negative effects include the risk of failure leading to poor mental health [ 8 , 9 ], risk of injury [ 10 , 11 ], eating disorders [ 12 ], burnout [ 13 ], and exercise-induced gastrointestinal tract discomfort [ 14 ]. In sport, there are unfortunately also reports of physical and psychological abuse [ 15 ]. Negative aspects are more common in elite-level sports, where there is a fine balance between maximum performance and negative health. A somewhat unexpected effect of sport participation is that people submitting to planned training in some cases perform less physical activity compared to those who are exercising without a set schedule. One explanation can be a reduced spontaneous physical activity in the latter group [ 16 ]. Because physical activity is increasingly executed in an organized manner [ 17 , 18 , 19 ], sport’s role in society has become increasingly important over the years, not only for the individual but also for public health.

In this paper, we describe the health effects of sport from a physiological and psychological perspective, related both to physical activity and added values of sport per se. Initially, brief definitions of various concepts related to physical activity and health are given. This is then followed by: (1) A brief description of how physical activity and training affect our body from a physiological perspective; (2) a report on the health effects of physical activity and training; and (3) sport’s specific influences on the various dimensions of health. We chose to discuss the subject from an age-related perspective, separating children/adolescents, adults, and the elderly, as well as separating for sex in each age group.

2. Definitions of Physical Activity, Exercise, Training, Sport, and Health

Definitions and terms are based on “Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of disease” (FYSS, www.fyss.se [Swedish] [ 20 ]), World Health Organization (WHO) [ 21 ] and the US Department of Human Services [ 22 ]. The definition of physical activity in FYSS is: “Physical activity is defined purely physiologically, as all body movement that increases energy use beyond resting levels”. Health is defined according to the World Health Organization (WHO) as: “[…] a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” [ 21 ].

Physical activity can occur spontaneously (leisure/work/transport) or organized and be divided according to purpose: Physical exercise is aimed primarily at improving health and physical capacity. Physical training is aimed primarily at increasing the individual’s maximum physical capacity and performance [ 23 ]. Physical inactivity is described as the absence of body movement, when energy consumption approximates resting levels. People who do not meet recommendations for physical activity are considered physically inactive and are sometimes called “sedentary”. Sport can be organized by age, sex, level of ambition, weight or other groupings [ 24 ]. Sport can also be spontaneous [ 7 , 17 ] and defined as a subset of exercises undertaken individually or as a part of a team, where participants have a defined goal [ 7 ]. General recommendations for physical activity are found in Table 1 , not considering everyday activities. One can meet the daily recommendations for physical activity by brief, high-intensity exercise, and remaining physically inactive for the rest of the day, thereby creating a “polarization” of physical activity: Having a high dose of conscious physical training, despite having a low energy expenditure in normal life due to high volumes of sedentary time. Polarization of physical activity may lead to increased risk of poor health despite meeting the recommendations for physical activity [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. During most of our lives, energy expenditure is greater in normal daily life than in sport, physical training, and exercise, with the exceptions of children and the elderly, where planned physical activity is more important [ 28 ].

Recommendations regarding physical activity for different target groups. Note that additional health effects can be achieved if, in addition to these recommendations, the amount of physical activity increases, either by increasing the intensity or duration or a combination of both.

Compiled from FYSS 2017 ( www.fyss.se ) and WHO 2017 ( www.who.int ).

3. Aerobic and Muscle-Strengthening Physical Activity

Physical activity is categorized according to FYSS as: (1) Aerobic physical activity and (2) muscle-strengthening physical activity. Physical activity in everyday life and exercise training is mainly an aerobic activity, where a majority of energy production occurs via oxygen-dependent pathways. Aerobic physical activity is the type of activity typically associated with stamina, fitness, and the biggest health benefits [ 29 , 30 , 31 ]. Muscle-strengthening physical activity is referred to in everyday language as “strength training” or “resistance training” and is a form of physical exercise/training that is primarily intended to maintain or improve various forms of muscle strength and increase or maintain muscle mass [ 32 ]. Sometimes, another category is defined: Muscle-enhancing physical activity, important for maintenance or improvement of coordination and balance, especially in the elderly [ 33 ]. According to these definitions, muscle-strengthening activities primarily involve the body’s anaerobic (without oxygen) energy systems, proportionally more as intensity increases.

Exercise intensity can be expressed in absolute or relative terms. Absolute intensity means the physical work (for example; Watts [W], kg, or metabolic equivalent [MET]), while relative intensity is measured against the person’s maximum capacity or physiology (for example; percentage of maximum heart rate (%HR), rate of perceived exhaustion (RPE), W·kg −1 or relative oxygen uptake in L·min −1 ·kg −1 (VO 2 )). In terms of recommendations to the public, as in Table 1 , the intensity is often described in subjective terms (“makes you breathe harder” for moderate intensity, and “makes you puff and pant” for vigorous intensity) [ 27 ]. While objective criteria such as heart rate and accelerometry will capture the intensity of activity, they may not distinguish between different types of physical activity behaviors [ 34 ]. FYSS defines low intensity as 20%–39% of VO 2 max, <40 %HR, 1.5–2.9 METs; moderate intensity as 40%–59% of VO 2 max, 60–74 %HR, 3.0–5.9 METs, and vigorous intensity as 60%–89% of VO 2 max, 75–94 %HR, 6.0–8.9 METs. Absolute intensity, however, can vary greatly between individuals where a patient with heart disease may have a maximal capacity of <3 MET, and an elite athlete >20 MET [ 35 ].

4. How does the Body Adapt to Physical Activity and Training?

Adaption to physical activity and training is a complex physiological process, but may, in the context of this paper, be simplified by a fundamental basic principle:” The general adaptation syndrome (GAS)” [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. This principle assumes that physical activity disturbs the body’s physiological balance, which the body then seeks to restore, all in a dose-related response relationship. The overload principle states that if exercise intensity is too low, overload is not reached to induce desired physiological adaptations, whereas an intensity too high will result in fatigue and possibly overtraining. Thus, for adaptation to occur, greater than normal stress must be induced, interspersed with sufficient recovery periods for restoration of physiological balance [ 39 ]. During and immediately after physical exercise/training, functions of affected tissues and systems are impaired, manifested as temporarily decreased performance. You feel tired. In order to gradually improve performance capacity, repeated cycles of adequate overload and recovery are required [ 40 ]. In practice, positive effects can be seen after a relatively short period of a few weeks, but more substantial improvements if the training is maintained for a longer period.

As a rule of thumb, it is assumed that all people can adapt to physical activity and exercise, but the degree of adaptation depends on many factors, including age, heredity, the environment, and diet [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. The hereditary factor (genetics) may be the most critical for adaptation [ 45 ]. The degree of adaptation also depends on how the person in question trained previously; a well-trained athlete usually does not have the same relative improvement as an untrained one. Even if training is thought to be specific to mode, intensity, and duration, there are some overlaps. For example, it has been found that strength training in some individuals contributes to a relatively large positive impact on health and endurance, effects previously associated primarily with aerobic exercise [ 46 , 47 ]. The overload principle may, if applied too vigorously in relation to a person’s individual adaptation ability, have detrimental effects, including reduced performance, injury, overtraining, and disease [ 10 ]. Training is a commodity that must be renewed; otherwise, you gradually lose achieved performance improvements [ 48 ], although some capacities, such as muscle memory, seem to persist for life [ 49 ].

General recommendations for health may be stated, but individual predispositions make general training schedules for specific performance effects unpredictable. All exercise training should be adjusted to individual purposes, goals, and circumstances.

5. Health Effects of Physical Activity and Training

Human biology requires a certain amount of physical activity to maintain good health and wellbeing. Biological adaption to life with less physical activity would take many generations. People living today have, more or less, the same requirements for physical activity as 40,000 years ago [ 50 , 51 ]. For an average man with a body weight of 70 kg, this corresponds to about 19 km daily walking in addition to everyday physical activity [ 52 ]. For most people, daily physical activity decreases, while planned, conscious exercise and training increases [ 19 , 53 ]. Unfortunately, average daily energy intake is increasing more than daily energy output, creating an energy surplus. This is one reason for the increasing number of overweight people, and a strong contributor to many health problems [ 54 ]. More sedentary living (not reaching recommended level of physical activity), combined with increased energy intake, impairs both physical and mental capabilities and increases the risk of disease. Despite this, Swedes (as an example) seemed to be as physically active and stressed but had better general health in 2015, compared to 2004 ( Figure 1 ). Compared to 2004–2007, the Swedish population in 2012–2015 reported better overall health (more county-dots are blue) and less fatigue (smaller county-dots) with similar level of physical activity (~65% indicated at least 30 min daily physical activity) and stress (~13% were stressed).

Selected physical and mental health indicators of a Sweden cohort, in relation to the degree of physical activity for the period of years 2004–2007 ( N = 29,254) and years 2012–2015 ( N = 38,553). Surveyed subjects are age 16 to 84 years old, with data representing median scores of four years, not normalized for age. Y-axis: Percentage of subjects reporting “stressed”; X-axis: Percentage of subjects indicating physical active at least 30 minutes each day. Each dot represents one County (Län), dot-size indicates self-reported fatigue, and color self-reported healthiness of the County. If 70% of the population states they are having “Good/Very good” health, the dot is blue. If less than 70% states they are having good/very good health, the dot is red. The circle indicated with a black arrow corresponds to nation median. The black line connected to the nation circle represents the movement in the X–Y plane from the year 2004 to 2007, and from 2012 to 2015, respectively. Data retrieved from the Public Health Agency of Sweden 2019-04-22 ( www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se ).

Results in Figure 1 may in part be explained by a polarization of who is physically active: Some individuals are extremely active, others very inactive, giving a similar central tendency (mean/median). As physical activity and mental stress are not changed, but health is, the figure indicates that other factors must be more important to our overall health and fatigue. Recently, a national study of Swedish 11- to 15-year-olds concluded that this age group is inactive for most of their time awake, that is, sitting, standing or moving very little [ 55 ]. Time as inactive increased with age, from 67 percent for 11-year-olds to 75 percent for 15-year-olds. The study states that in all age groups, the inactive time is evenly distributed over the week, with school time, leisure time, and weekend. Further, those who feel school-related stress have more inactive time, both overall and during school hours, than those who have less school-related stress.

People active in sports have, in general, better health than those who do not participate in sports, because they are physically and mentally prepared for the challenges of sports, abilities that in many cases can be transferred to other parts of life [ 56 ].

However, there is a certain bias in this statement. Sport practitioners are already positively selected, because sickness and injury may prevent participation. As many health benefits of sport are related to the level of physical activity, separation of sport and physical exercise may be problematic. Regardless, societal benefits of these health effects can be seen in lower morbidity, healthier elderly, and lower medical costs [ 7 , 57 , 58 ].

Health effects of physical activity in many cases follow a dose–response relationship; dose of physical activity is in proportion to the effect on health [ 59 , 60 ]. Figure 2 depicts the relationship between risk of death and level of physical activity, in a Finnish twin cohort, adjusted for smoking, occupational group, and alcohol consumption [ 59 ]. Odds ratio (OR) for the risk of all-cause mortality in a larger sample in the same study was 0.80 for occasional exercisers ( p = 0.002, 95% CI = 0.69–0.91). This dose–response relationship between risk of all-cause mortality and physical activity is evident in several extensive studies [ 60 , 61 , 62 ]. The total dose is determined by the intensity (how strenuous), duration (duration), and frequency (how often). While Figure 2 shows sex differences in death rates, it is likely that sedentary behavior is equally hazardous for men and women, but inconsistent results sometime occur due to inadequate assessment measures, or low statistical power [ 59 , 63 ]. To obtain the best possible development due to physical exercise/training, both for prevention and treatment purposes, a basic understanding of how these variables affect the dose of activity is required, as well as understanding how they can be modified to suit individual requirements. A physically active population is important for the health of both the individual and society, with sport participation being one, increasingly important, motivator for exercise.

Relative risk (odds ratio; OR) of premature death in relationship to level of physical activity, in 286 male and 148 female twin pairs, adjusted for smoking, occupational group, and use of alcohol [ 59 ].

There is strong scientific evidence supporting an association between physical exercise/training and good physical and mental health. For example: A reduction in musculoskeletal disorders and reduced disability due to chronic disease [ 27 , 64 ], better mental health with reduced anxiety [ 65 , 66 ], insomnia [ 67 ], depression [ 31 ], stress [ 68 ], and other psychological disorders [ 69 ]. Physical and mental health problems are related to an increased risk of developing a number of our major public health diseases and may contribute to premature death ( Table 2 ).

Health-related physiological effects of aerobic and muscle strengthening physical activity. Green circle indicates that the activity contributes with an effect, whereas a red circle indicates that the activity has no proven effect. Orange circle indicates that the activity may in some cases be effective.

5.1. Effects on Physical Health

The effects of physical activity and exercise are both acute (during and immediately after) and long-lasting. Effects remaining after a long period of regular physical activity have far-reaching consequences for health and are described below. For example, some muscle enzymes’ activity can be quickly increased by physical exercise/training but just as quickly be lost when idle [ 118 ]. Other changes remain for months or years even if training ends—for instance, increased number and size of muscle fibers and blood vessels [ 49 , 119 , 120 ]. Good health, therefore, requires physical activity to be performed with both progression and continuity. Most of the conducted physical exercise/training is a combination of both aerobic and muscle strengthening exercise, and it can be difficult to distinguish between their health effects ( Table 2 ).

To describe ill-health, indicators of life expectancy, disease incidence (number), and prevalence (how often) are used [ 121 ]. In describing the relationship between physical activity and falling ill with certain diseases, the dose–response relationship, the effect size (the risk reduction that is shown in studies), and the recommended type and dose of physical activity are considered [ 122 ]. Table 3 shows the relative effects of regular physical activity ton the risk of various diseases (US Department of Human Services, 2009). The greatest health gains are for people who move from completely sedentary to moderately active lifestyles, with health effects seen before measurable improvements in physical performance. Previously, most scientific studies collected data only on aerobic physical activity. However, resistance exercise also shows promising health (mental and physical) and disease-prevention effects [ 123 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 ].

Disease prevention effects of regular physical activity.

Compiled from US Department of Health and Human Service, https://health.gov/paguidelines/report/ [ 62 , 146 ] 1 : Risk reduction refers to the relative risk in physically active samples in comparison to a non-active sample, i.e., a risk reduction of 20% means that the physically active sample has a relative risk of 0.8, compared to the non-active sample, which has 1.0. 2 : In general, general recommendations for PA that are described and referred to herein apply to most conditions. However, in some cases, more specific recommendations exist, more in depth described by the US Department of Health and Human Service, amongst others [ 62 ]. 3 : Evidence is dependent on cancer subtype; refer to US Department of Health and Human Service [ 62 ] for in-depth guidance. PA = Physical.

Aerobic physical activity has been shown to benefit weight maintenance after prior weight loss, reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, normalize blood lipids, and help with cancer/cancer-related side effects ( Table 2 and Table 3 ), while effects on chronic pain are not as clear [ 29 ].

Muscle-strengthening physical activity has, in contrast to aerobic exercise, been shown to reduce muscle atrophy [ 128 ], risk of falling [ 75 ], and osteoporosis [ 74 ] in the elderly. Among the elderly, both men and women adapt positively to strength training [ 129 ]. Strength training also prevents obesity [ 130 ], enhances cognitive performance if done alongside aerobic exercise [ 131 ], counteracts the development of neurodegenerative diseases [ 132 , 133 , 134 ], reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome [ 135 ], counteracts cancer/cancer-related side effects [ 135 , 136 ], reduces pain and disability in joint diseases [ 137 ], and enhances bone density [ 137 , 138 ]. The risk of falling increases markedly with age and is partly a result of reduced muscle mass, and reduced coordination and balance [ 76 , 139 , 140 ]. A strong correlation between physical performance, reduced risk of falls, and enhanced quality of life is therefore, not surprisingly, found in older people [ 141 ]. Deterioration in muscle strength, but not muscle mass, increases the risk of premature death [ 142 ] but can be counteracted by exercise as a dose–response relationship describes the strength improvement in the elderly [ 122 , 143 ]. Recommendations state high-intensity strength training (6–8 repetitions at 80% of 1-repetition maximum) as most effective [ 144 ]. Muscle strengthening physical activity for better health is recommended as a complement to aerobic physical activity [ 29 ]. Amongst the elderly, vibration training can be an alternative to increase strength [ 145 ].

5.2. Effects on Mental Health

Mental illness is a global problem affecting millions of people worldwide [ 147 ]. Headache, stress, insomnia, fatigue, and anxiety are all measures of mental ill health. The term “ ill health ” constitutes a collection of several mental health problems and symptoms with various levels of seriousness. Studies have compared expected health benefits from regular physical activity for improvement of mental health with other treatments, for example, medication. Most recent studies show that physical activity and exercise used as a primary, or secondary, processing method have significant positive effects in preventing or alleviating depressive symptoms [ 31 , 148 , 149 , 150 , 151 ] and have an antidepressant effect in people with neurological diseases [ 152 ]. Training and exercise improve the quality of life and coping with stress and strengthen self-esteem and social skills [ 69 , 153 ]. Training and exercise also lessen anxiety in people who are diagnosed with an anxiety- or stress-related disease [ 68 ], improve vocabulary learning [ 154 ], memory [ 155 , 156 ], and creative thinking [ 157 ].

The same Swedish data as used in Figure 1 show that between the years 2004–2007 and 2012–2015 anxiety, worry, and insomnia decreased but were not obviously correlated to the slightly increased level of physical activity in the population during the same period. Thus, in a multifactorial context, the importance of physical exercise alone cannot be demonstrated in this dataset.

Some of the suggested physiological explanations for improved mental health with physical activity and exercise are greater perfusion and increased brain volume [ 107 , 158 ], increased volume of the hippocampus [ 106 ], and the anti-inflammatory effects of physical activity, reducing brain inflammation in neurological diseases [ 159 ]. Physical exercise may also mediate resilience to stress-induced depression via skeletal muscle peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), enhancing kynurenine conversion to kynurenine acid, which in turn protects the brain and reduces the risk for stress-induced depression [ 153 ]. Further, increased release of growth factors, endorphins, and signaling molecules are other exercise-induced enhancers of mental health [ 69 ].

6. How Sport Affects Health

Sport’s main purposes are to promote physical activity and improve motor skills for health and performance and psychosocial development [ 56 ]. Participants also gain a chance to be part of a community, develop new social circles, and create social norms and attitudes. In healthy individuals, and patients with mental illness, sport participation has been shown to provide individuals with a sense of meaning, identity, and belonging [ 160 , 161 ]. Whether the sport movement exists or not, training and competition including physical activity will happen. Sport’s added values, in addition to the health benefits of physical activity, are therefore of interest. Some argue that it is doubtful, or at least not confirmed, that health development can come from sport, while others believe that healthy sport is something other than health, reviewed in depth by Coakley [ 162 ]. In a sporting context, health is defined as subjective (e.g., one feels good), biological (e.g., not being sick), functional (e.g., to perform), and social (e.g., to collaborate) [ 163 ]. Holt [ 56 ] argued that the environment for positive development in young people is distinctly different from an environment for performance, as the latter is based on being measured and assessed. That said, certain skills (goal setting, leadership, etc.) can be transferred from a sporting environment to other areas of life. The best way to transfer these abilities is, at the moment, unclear.

Having the goal to win at all costs can be detrimental to health. This is especially true for children and adolescents, as early engagement in elite sports increases the risk of injury, promotes one-dimensional functional development, leads to overtraining, creates distorted social norms, risks psychosocial disorders, and has the risk of physical and psychological abuse [ 15 , 164 ]. Of great importance, therefore, is sport’s goal of healthy performance development, starting at an early age. For older people, a strong motivating factor to conduct physical activity is sports club membership [ 165 ]. One can summarize these findings by stating sport’s utility at the transition between different stages of the life; from youth to adulthood and from adulthood to old age. There, sports can be a resource for good physical and mental health [ 166 ].

Today, a higher proportion of the population, compared to 50 years ago, is engaged in organized sports, and to a lesser extent performs spontaneous sports ( Figure 3 ), something that Engström showed in 2004 [ 17 ] and is confirmed by data from The Swedish Sports Confederation ( www.rf.se ). Of the surveyed individuals in 2001, 50%–60% of children and young people said they were active in a sports club. The trend has continued showing similar progression to 2011, with up to 70% of school students playing sports in a club. Furthermore, the study shows that those active in sport clubs also spontaneously do more sports [ 167 ]. Similar data from the years 2007–2018, compiled from open sources at The Swedish Sports Confederation, confirm the trend with an even higher share of youths participating in organized sports, compared to 1968 and 2001 ( Figure 4 ).

Spontaneous sport has decreased over the last decades, to the advantage of organized sport. Data compiled from Engström, 2004, The Swedish Research Council for Sport Science.

Data compiled from open sources report Sport Statistics (Idrotten i siffror) at The Swedish Sports Confederation for the year 2011 ( www.rf.se ).

Taking part in sports can be an important motivator for physical activity for older people [ 165 , 166 ]. With aging, both participation in sports ( Figure 4 ) and physical activity in everyday life [ 168 ] decreases. At the same time, the number of people who are physically active both in leisure and in organized sports increases (The Public Health Agency of Sweden 2017; www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se ). Consequently, among elderly people, a greater proportion of the physical activity occurs within the context of sport [ 8 , 28 ]. Together, research shows that organized sports, in clubs or companies, are more important for people’s overall physical activity than ever before. Groups that are usually less physically active can be motivated through sport—for example, elderly men in sport supporters’ clubs [ 169 ], people in rural areas [ 170 ], migrants [ 171 ], and people with alternative physical and mental functions [ 172 ]. No matter how you get your sporting interest, it is important to establish a physical foundation at an early age to live in good health when you get older ( Figure 5 ). As seen in Figure 5 , a greater sport habitus at age 15 results in higher physical activity at 53 years of age. Early training and exposure to various forms of sports are therefore of great importance. Participation creates an identity, setting the stage for a high degree of physical activity later in life [ 173 ].

Odds ratio (OR) of physical activity at age 53 in relation to Sport habitus at age 15. Sport habitus (“the total physical capital"), including cultural capital, athletic diversity, and grades in physical education and health are, according to Engström [ 173 ], the factors most important for being physically active in later life. For a further discussion on sport habitus, the readers are referred to Engström, 2008 [ 173 ]. Numbers above bar show the 95% confidence interval. ** = significant difference from “Very low”, p < 0.01. *** = p < 0.001.

7. Sport’s Effects on the Health of Children and Young People

The effects of participation in organized sports for children and young people are directly linked to physical activity, with long term secondary effects; an active lifestyle at a young age fosters a more active lifestyle as an adult. As many diseases that are positively affected by physical activity/exercise appear later in life, continued participation in sport as an adult will reduce morbidity and mortality.

It must be emphasized that good physical and mental health of children and young people participating in sport requires knowledge and organization based on everyone’s participation. Early specialization counteracts, in all regards, both health and performance development [ 174 , 175 ].

7.1. Positive Aspects

According to several reviews, there is a correlation between high daily physical activity in children and a low risk for obesity, improved development of motor and cognitive skills, as well as a stronger skeleton [ 176 , 177 ]. Positive effects on lipidemia, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, body composition, metabolic syndrome, bone density and depression, increased muscle strength, and reduced damage to the skeleton and muscles are also described [ 178 , 179 ]. If many aspects are merged in a multidimensional analysis [ 8 , 173 ], the factors important for future good health are shown to be training in sports, broad exposure to different sports, high school grades, cultural capital, and that one takes part in sport throughout childhood ( Table 4 ).

Compiled health profiles for men and women at the age of 20 years, depending on participation in organized sports at the age of 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, and 17 years.

Classification with repeated latent class analysis creates three groups for girls and boys, respectively: Children who never participated (girls only), participated, quit prematurely, or began late (only boys) in sports. Arrows indicate whether participation in sports at young age has an effect on health at 20 years of age. Green up arrow is positive, red down arrow negative, and a horizontal black double arrow shows that sport had no significant effect. Modified from Howie et. al., 2016 [ 8 ].

Psychological benefits of sports participation of young people were compiled by Eime et al. [ 1 ], where the conclusion was that sporting children have better self-esteem, less depression, and better overall psychosocial health. One problem with most of these studies, though, is that they are cross-sectional studies, which means that no cause–effect relationship can be determined. As there is a bias for participating children towards coming from socially secure environments, the results may be somewhat skewed.

7.2. Negative Aspects

As Table 4 and Table 5 show, there are both positive and negative aspects of sports. Within children’s and youth sports, early specialization to a specific sport is a common phenomenon [ 175 ]. There is no scientific evidence that early specialization would have positive impact, neither for health nor for performance later in life [ 175 ]. No model or method including performance at a young age can predict elite performance as an adult. By contrast, specialization and competitiveness can lead to injury, overtraining, increased psychological stress, and reduced training motivation, just to mention a few amongst many negative aspects [ 174 , 175 ]. Another important aspect is that those who are excluded from sports feel mentally worse [ 8 ]. As there is a relationship between depressive episodes in adolescence, and depression as adults [ 116 ], early exclusion has far-reaching consequences. Therefore, sports for children and young people have future health benefits by reducing the risk of developing depression and depressive symptoms, as well as improved wellbeing throughout life.

Positive and negative aspects with sport (at young age).

While some degree of sport specialization is necessary to develop elite-level athletes, research shows clear adverse health effects of early specialization and talent selection [ 180 ]. More children born during the fall and winter (September–December) are excluded [ 181 ], and as a group, they are less physically active than spring (January–April) children, both in sports and leisure ( Figure 6 ). In most sports and in most countries, there is a skewed distribution of participants when sorted by birth-date, and there are more spring children than fall children among those who are involved in sport [ 182 , 183 , 184 , 185 , 186 ]. Because a large part of the physical activity takes place in an organized form, this leads to lower levels of physical activity for late-born persons (Malm, Jakobsson, and Julin, unpublished data). Early orientation and training in physical activity and exercise will determine how active you are later in life. Greater attention must be given to stimulating as many children and young people as possible to participate in sport as long as possible, both in school and on their leisure time. According to statistics from the Swedish Sports Confederation in 2016, this relative-age effect persists throughout life, despite more starting than ending with sport each year [ 18 ].

The figure shows the distribution of 7597 children aged 10 years and younger who in 2014 were registered as active in one particular, individual sport in Sweden (data compiled from the Swedish Sport Confederation, www.rf.se ). Spring, Summer, and Fall represent January–April, May–August, and September–December, respectively.

When summarize, the positive and negative aspects of sport at a young age can be divided into three categories: (1) Personal identification, (2) social competence, and (3) physiological capacity, briefly summarized in Table 5 . A comprehensive analysis of what is now popularly known as “physical literacy” has recently been published [ 187 ].

7.3. Relevance of Sports

Sports can make children and young people develop both physically and mentally and contribute with health benefits if planned and executed exercise/training considers the person’s own capacities, social situation, and biological as well as psychological maturation. In children and adolescents, it is especially important to prevent sports-related injuries and health problems, as a number of these problems are likely to remain long into adulthood, sometimes for life. Comprehensive training is recommended, which does not necessarily mean that you have to participate in various sports. What is required is diverse training within every sport and club. Research shows that participation in various sports simultaneously during childhood and adolescence is most favorable for healthy and lifelong participation [ 8 , 173 , 188 , 189 ].

8. Sport’s Effects on the Health of Adults and the Elderly

Adults who stop participating in sports reduce their physical activity and have health risks equal to people who have neither done sports nor been physical [ 190 , 191 ]. Lack of adherence to exercise programs is a significant hindrance in achieving health goals and general physical activity recommendations in adults and the elderly [ 192 ]. While several socioeconomic factors are related to exercise adherence, it is imperative that trainers and health care providers are informed about factors that can be modulated, such as intervention intensity (not to high), duration (not too long), and supervision, important for higher adherence, addressed more in depth by Rivera-Torres, Fahey and Rivera [ 192 ].

Healthy aging is dependent on many factors, such as the absence of disease, good physical and mental health, and social commitment (especially through team sports or group activities) [ 193 ]. Increased morbidity with age may be partly linked to decreased physical activity. Thus, remaining or becoming active later in life is strongly associated with healthy aging [ 194 ]. With increased age, there is less involvement in training and competition ( Figure 4 ), and only 20% of adults in Sweden are active, at least to some extent, in sports clubs, and the largest proportion of adults who exercise do it on their own. The following sections describes effects beyond what is already provided for children and youths.

8.1. Positive Aspects

Participation in sports, with or without competition, promotes healthy behavior and a better quality of life [ 166 ]. Exclusion from sports at a young age appears to have long-term consequences, as the previously described relative age effect ( Figure 6 ) remains even for master athletes (Malm, Jakobsson, and Julin, unpublished data). Because master athletes show better health than their peers [ 95 ], actions should be taken to include adults and elderly individuals who earlier in life were excluded from, or never started with sport [ 195 ]. As we age, physical activity at a health-enhancing intensity is not enough to maintain all functions. Higher intensity is required, best comprising competition-oriented training [ 196 , 197 ]. One should not assume that high-intensity exercise cannot be initiated by the elderly [ 198 ]. Competitive sports, or training like a competitive athlete as an adult, can be one important factor to counter the loss of physical ability with aging [ 199 ]. In this context, golf can be one example of a safe form of exercise with high adherence for older adults and the elderly, resulting in increased aerobic performance, metabolic function, and trunk strength [ 200 , 201 ].

8.2. Negative Aspects

Increased morbidity (e.g., cardiovascular disease) with aging is seen also among older athletes [ 202 ] and is associated with the same risk factors as in the general population [ 203 ]. An increased risk of cardiovascular disease among adults (master) compared to other populations has been found [ 204 ]. Unfortunately, the designs and interpretations of these studies have been criticized, and the incidence of cardiac arrest in older athletes is unclear [ 205 ]. In this context, the difference between competitive sports aiming to optimize performance and recreational sports has to be taken into account, where the former is more likely to induce negative effects due to high training loads and/or impacts during training and games. Although high-intensity training even for older athletes is positive for aerobic performance, it does not prevent the loss of motor units [ 206 ].

Quality of life is higher in sporting adults compared to those who do not play sports, but so is the risk of injury. When hit by injury, adults and young alike may suffer from psychological disorders such as depression [ 207 ], but with a longer recovery time in older individuals [ 208 ]. As with young athletes, secession of training at age 50 years and above reduces blood flow in the brain, including the hippocampus, possibly related to long-term decline in mental capacity [ 209 ].

8.3. Relevance of Sport

As for children and young people, many positive health aspects come through sport also for adults and the elderly [ 210 ]. Sport builds bridges between generations, a potential but not elucidated drive for adults’ motivation for physical activity. The percentage of adults participating in competitive sports has increased in Sweden since 2010, from about 20 percent to 30 percent of all of those who are physically active [ 18 ], a trend that most likely provides better health for the group in the 30–40 age group and generations to come.

9. Recommendations for Healthy Sport

• 1. Plan exercise, rest, and social life. For health-promoting and healthy-aging physical activity, refer to general guidelines summarized in this paper: Aerobic exercise three times a week, muscle-strengthening exercise 2–3 times a week.
• 2. Set long-term goals.
• 3. Adopt a holistic performance development including physiological, medical, mental, and psychosocial aspects.
• ○ a. Exercise load (time, intensity, volume);
• ○ b. Recovery (sleep, resting heart rate, appetite, estimated fatigue, etc.);
• ○ c. Sickness (when–where–how, type of infections, how long one is ill, etc.);
• ○ d. Repeat type- and age-specific physical tests with relevant evaluation and feedback;
• ○ e. Frequency of injuries and causes.
• ○ a. Motivation for training, competition, and socializing;
• ○ b. Personal perception of stress, anxiety, depression, alienation, and self-belief;
• ○ c. Repeat type- and age-specific psychological tests with relevant evaluation and feedback.
• 6. Register and interpret signs of overtraining, such as reduced performance over time, while maintaining or increasing exercise load.

Author Contributions

C.M. and A.J. conceived and designed the review. C.M., A.J., J.J. and interpreted the data and drafted the manuscript. J.J. edited the manuscript, tables, and figures. All authors approved the final version.

This work was supported by the Swedish Sports Confederation.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Physical Exercise Essay - 100, 200, 500 Words

A critical factor in determining health is physical exercise. Everyone benefits from physical activity, which not only keeps you healthy and robust but, when started early, can form positive habits for life. However, there are occasions when people neglect their physical health, leading to problems that harm our health. Here are a few sample essays on physical exercise.

100 Words Essay on Physical Exercise

200 word essay on physical exercise, 500 words essay on physical exercise, importance of exercise, types of exercises.

"Health is Wealth" happiness comes from having good health. Physical fitness and mental alertness can be accomplished by exercise. We all should play different types of sports for physical fitness. Physical activity can help us maintain good health and keep away from diseases. Many diseases happen due to a lack of physical activity, like heart problems, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. We should do a variety of yoga and physical exercise to stay in good physical and mental health. Yoga is one of the best forms of exercise for maintaining good health and can also help in reducing stress.

Physical exercise is essential for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute to maintaining a healthy weight, regulating the digestive system, and building and maintaining nutritional bone density.

Various Kinds of Physical Exercise

There are numerous ways to exercise, including walking, riding a bike, swimming, and playing various outdoor sports. Following are some of the activities that people can do to remain physically fit—

Yard work (mowing, raking)

Climbing stairs or hills.

Playing outdoor sports.

Importance:

People without good health cannot enjoy the abundance of wealth. Physical exercise improves our memory and brain function among all age groups. It protects against many chronic diseases. Physical activity helps in weight management and improves heart health. Most importantly, it reduces feelings of anxiety and depression and improves our quality of sleep.

Disadvantages of Not Exercising

Circulatory System Problems

Weight Gain

Joint and Bone Fragility

Lack of Endurance

Lack of Physical Strength When You Need It.

Loss of Balance

Loss of Flexibility

Loss of Mobility

Engaging in regular physical activity always produces improvements in physical health and psychological well-being. Physical exercise reduces the risk of diseases, improvements in physical functioning, and fitness, and overall improves quality of life.

Exercise is the repetitive performance of physical work or physical exercise to unwind the body and relieve mental stress. Physical Exercise should be done every day throughout everyone's life.

If someone exercises regularly, the benefits of doing so are frequently noticeable relatively fast. A person needs to be physically and intellectually fit because, as we have all heard, "A healthy mind dwells in a healthy body". So exercising every day is necessary if one wants to stay healthy and fit. In our daily lives, exercise is essential. It helps in maintaining our physical fitness.

Exercise will help you lose weight rapidly if you're overweight because it burns calories while working out. Even though you aren't exercising, your body's weight will increase as your muscles grow, which will cause you to burn more calories than usual. Exercise will also help improve our body's blood flow and oxygen levels.

Exercise causes the brain cells to release them more frequently, which helps in the hippocampus's generation of new cells. The brain's hippocampus is the area that assists in memory regulation and learning.

Reducing vital signs, which can assist in lessening the strain on your heart, is one of the additional health benefits of exercise for the soul.

Your body will have a low risk of getting cardiac ailments if you exercise regularly and eat healthily.

Exercise also helps to control our body's blood sugar levels. They will contribute to the prevention or postponement of type 2 diabetes. One of the leading causes of diabetes is being overweight, which can be managed with daily exercise.

Exercise helps in revitalising and reconditioning our entire body. It helps in the development of strong muscles. Exercise can help people lose weight or prevent obesity. It preserves the young and slows down the process of ageing.

Exercise is essential for maintaining health and fitness because it is necessary for all aspects of life.

Everyone should exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay free from diseases.

Both mental and physical development is essential for success in life . Exercise is, therefore, crucial for one's general development. We should keep a healthy balance between school, rest, and activities.

• Morning walk

Gymnastics exercise

Free-Hand Exercises

Outdoor sports

My Experience

At the age of 16, I was too fat and unable to run for more than 5 minutes. Due to my weight, I was suffering from many types of diseases. Soon after this, my father pushed me to exercise every morning because exercise frees our body and mind from stress. Every morning my father and I started going to the garden to do activities like yoga, morning walk, flexibility, and many more. In school, our physical education teacher also took all children to the ground to exercise and play outdoor games. Later, I noticed that I was recovering slowly from several diseases and lost a lot of weight. I could see the difference in my energy levels and overall performance and realised that we all should exercise every day.

Explore Career Options (By Industry)

• Construction
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• Information Technology

Data Administrator

Database professionals use software to store and organise data such as financial information, and customer shipping records. Individuals who opt for a career as data administrators ensure that data is available for users and secured from unauthorised sales. DB administrators may work in various types of industries. It may involve computer systems design, service firms, insurance companies, banks and hospitals.

Bio Medical Engineer

The field of biomedical engineering opens up a universe of expert chances. An Individual in the biomedical engineering career path work in the field of engineering as well as medicine, in order to find out solutions to common problems of the two fields. The biomedical engineering job opportunities are to collaborate with doctors and researchers to develop medical systems, equipment, or devices that can solve clinical problems. Here we will be discussing jobs after biomedical engineering, how to get a job in biomedical engineering, biomedical engineering scope, and salary. 

Ethical Hacker

A career as ethical hacker involves various challenges and provides lucrative opportunities in the digital era where every giant business and startup owns its cyberspace on the world wide web. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path try to find the vulnerabilities in the cyber system to get its authority. If he or she succeeds in it then he or she gets its illegal authority. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path then steal information or delete the file that could affect the business, functioning, or services of the organization.

GIS officer work on various GIS software to conduct a study and gather spatial and non-spatial information. GIS experts update the GIS data and maintain it. The databases include aerial or satellite imagery, latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, and manually digitized images of maps. In a career as GIS expert, one is responsible for creating online and mobile maps.

Data Analyst

The invention of the database has given fresh breath to the people involved in the data analytics career path. Analysis refers to splitting up a whole into its individual components for individual analysis. Data analysis is a method through which raw data are processed and transformed into information that would be beneficial for user strategic thinking.

Data are collected and examined to respond to questions, evaluate hypotheses or contradict theories. It is a tool for analyzing, transforming, modeling, and arranging data with useful knowledge, to assist in decision-making and methods, encompassing various strategies, and is used in different fields of business, research, and social science.

Geothermal Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as geothermal engineers are the professionals involved in the processing of geothermal energy. The responsibilities of geothermal engineers may vary depending on the workplace location. Those who work in fields design facilities to process and distribute geothermal energy. They oversee the functioning of machinery used in the field.

Database Architect

If you are intrigued by the programming world and are interested in developing communications networks then a career as database architect may be a good option for you. Data architect roles and responsibilities include building design models for data communication networks. Wide Area Networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), and intranets are included in the database networks. It is expected that database architects will have in-depth knowledge of a company's business to develop a network to fulfil the requirements of the organisation. Stay tuned as we look at the larger picture and give you more information on what is db architecture, why you should pursue database architecture, what to expect from such a degree and what your job opportunities will be after graduation. Here, we will be discussing how to become a data architect. Students can visit NIT Trichy , IIT Kharagpur , JMI New Delhi . 

Remote Sensing Technician

Individuals who opt for a career as a remote sensing technician possess unique personalities. Remote sensing analysts seem to be rational human beings, they are strong, independent, persistent, sincere, realistic and resourceful. Some of them are analytical as well, which means they are intelligent, introspective and inquisitive. 

Remote sensing scientists use remote sensing technology to support scientists in fields such as community planning, flight planning or the management of natural resources. Analysing data collected from aircraft, satellites or ground-based platforms using statistical analysis software, image analysis software or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a significant part of their work. Do you want to learn how to become remote sensing technician? There's no need to be concerned; we've devised a simple remote sensing technician career path for you. Scroll through the pages and read.

Budget Analyst

Budget analysis, in a nutshell, entails thoroughly analyzing the details of a financial budget. The budget analysis aims to better understand and manage revenue. Budget analysts assist in the achievement of financial targets, the preservation of profitability, and the pursuit of long-term growth for a business. Budget analysts generally have a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, or a closely related field. Knowledge of Financial Management is of prime importance in this career.

Underwriter

An underwriter is a person who assesses and evaluates the risk of insurance in his or her field like mortgage, loan, health policy, investment, and so on and so forth. The underwriter career path does involve risks as analysing the risks means finding out if there is a way for the insurance underwriter jobs to recover the money from its clients. If the risk turns out to be too much for the company then in the future it is an underwriter who will be held accountable for it. Therefore, one must carry out his or her job with a lot of attention and diligence.

Finance Executive

Product manager.

A Product Manager is a professional responsible for product planning and marketing. He or she manages the product throughout the Product Life Cycle, gathering and prioritising the product. A product manager job description includes defining the product vision and working closely with team members of other departments to deliver winning products.  

Operations Manager

Individuals in the operations manager jobs are responsible for ensuring the efficiency of each department to acquire its optimal goal. They plan the use of resources and distribution of materials. The operations manager's job description includes managing budgets, negotiating contracts, and performing administrative tasks.

Stock Analyst

Individuals who opt for a career as a stock analyst examine the company's investments makes decisions and keep track of financial securities. The nature of such investments will differ from one business to the next. Individuals in the stock analyst career use data mining to forecast a company's profits and revenues, advise clients on whether to buy or sell, participate in seminars, and discussing financial matters with executives and evaluate annual reports.

A Researcher is a professional who is responsible for collecting data and information by reviewing the literature and conducting experiments and surveys. He or she uses various methodological processes to provide accurate data and information that is utilised by academicians and other industry professionals. Here, we will discuss what is a researcher, the researcher's salary, types of researchers.

Welding Engineer

Welding Engineer Job Description: A Welding Engineer work involves managing welding projects and supervising welding teams. He or she is responsible for reviewing welding procedures, processes and documentation. A career as Welding Engineer involves conducting failure analyses and causes on welding issues. 

Transportation Planner

A career as Transportation Planner requires technical application of science and technology in engineering, particularly the concepts, equipment and technologies involved in the production of products and services. In fields like land use, infrastructure review, ecological standards and street design, he or she considers issues of health, environment and performance. A Transportation Planner assigns resources for implementing and designing programmes. He or she is responsible for assessing needs, preparing plans and forecasts and compliance with regulations.

Environmental Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as an environmental engineer are construction professionals who utilise the skills and knowledge of biology, soil science, chemistry and the concept of engineering to design and develop projects that serve as solutions to various environmental problems. 

Safety Manager

A Safety Manager is a professional responsible for employee’s safety at work. He or she plans, implements and oversees the company’s employee safety. A Safety Manager ensures compliance and adherence to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines.

Conservation Architect

A Conservation Architect is a professional responsible for conserving and restoring buildings or monuments having a historic value. He or she applies techniques to document and stabilise the object’s state without any further damage. A Conservation Architect restores the monuments and heritage buildings to bring them back to their original state.

Structural Engineer

A Structural Engineer designs buildings, bridges, and other related structures. He or she analyzes the structures and makes sure the structures are strong enough to be used by the people. A career as a Structural Engineer requires working in the construction process. It comes under the civil engineering discipline. A Structure Engineer creates structural models with the help of computer-aided design software. 

Highway Engineer

Highway Engineer Job Description:  A Highway Engineer is a civil engineer who specialises in planning and building thousands of miles of roads that support connectivity and allow transportation across the country. He or she ensures that traffic management schemes are effectively planned concerning economic sustainability and successful implementation.

Field Surveyor

Are you searching for a Field Surveyor Job Description? A Field Surveyor is a professional responsible for conducting field surveys for various places or geographical conditions. He or she collects the required data and information as per the instructions given by senior officials. 

Orthotist and Prosthetist

Orthotists and Prosthetists are professionals who provide aid to patients with disabilities. They fix them to artificial limbs (prosthetics) and help them to regain stability. There are times when people lose their limbs in an accident. In some other occasions, they are born without a limb or orthopaedic impairment. Orthotists and prosthetists play a crucial role in their lives with fixing them to assistive devices and provide mobility.

Pathologist

A career in pathology in India is filled with several responsibilities as it is a medical branch and affects human lives. The demand for pathologists has been increasing over the past few years as people are getting more aware of different diseases. Not only that, but an increase in population and lifestyle changes have also contributed to the increase in a pathologist’s demand. The pathology careers provide an extremely huge number of opportunities and if you want to be a part of the medical field you can consider being a pathologist. If you want to know more about a career in pathology in India then continue reading this article.

Veterinary Doctor

Speech therapist, gynaecologist.

Gynaecology can be defined as the study of the female body. The job outlook for gynaecology is excellent since there is evergreen demand for one because of their responsibility of dealing with not only women’s health but also fertility and pregnancy issues. Although most women prefer to have a women obstetrician gynaecologist as their doctor, men also explore a career as a gynaecologist and there are ample amounts of male doctors in the field who are gynaecologists and aid women during delivery and childbirth. 

Audiologist

The audiologist career involves audiology professionals who are responsible to treat hearing loss and proactively preventing the relevant damage. Individuals who opt for a career as an audiologist use various testing strategies with the aim to determine if someone has a normal sensitivity to sounds or not. After the identification of hearing loss, a hearing doctor is required to determine which sections of the hearing are affected, to what extent they are affected, and where the wound causing the hearing loss is found. As soon as the hearing loss is identified, the patients are provided with recommendations for interventions and rehabilitation such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and appropriate medical referrals. While audiology is a branch of science that studies and researches hearing, balance, and related disorders.

An oncologist is a specialised doctor responsible for providing medical care to patients diagnosed with cancer. He or she uses several therapies to control the cancer and its effect on the human body such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and biopsy. An oncologist designs a treatment plan based on a pathology report after diagnosing the type of cancer and where it is spreading inside the body.

Are you searching for an ‘Anatomist job description’? An Anatomist is a research professional who applies the laws of biological science to determine the ability of bodies of various living organisms including animals and humans to regenerate the damaged or destroyed organs. If you want to know what does an anatomist do, then read the entire article, where we will answer all your questions.

For an individual who opts for a career as an actor, the primary responsibility is to completely speak to the character he or she is playing and to persuade the crowd that the character is genuine by connecting with them and bringing them into the story. This applies to significant roles and littler parts, as all roles join to make an effective creation. Here in this article, we will discuss how to become an actor in India, actor exams, actor salary in India, and actor jobs. 

Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats create and direct original routines for themselves, in addition to developing interpretations of existing routines. The work of circus acrobats can be seen in a variety of performance settings, including circus, reality shows, sports events like the Olympics, movies and commercials. Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats must be prepared to face rejections and intermittent periods of work. The creativity of acrobats may extend to other aspects of the performance. For example, acrobats in the circus may work with gym trainers, celebrities or collaborate with other professionals to enhance such performance elements as costume and or maybe at the teaching end of the career.

Video Game Designer

Career as a video game designer is filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. A video game designer is someone who is involved in the process of creating a game from day one. He or she is responsible for fulfilling duties like designing the character of the game, the several levels involved, plot, art and similar other elements. Individuals who opt for a career as a video game designer may also write the codes for the game using different programming languages.

Depending on the video game designer job description and experience they may also have to lead a team and do the early testing of the game in order to suggest changes and find loopholes.

Radio Jockey

Radio Jockey is an exciting, promising career and a great challenge for music lovers. If you are really interested in a career as radio jockey, then it is very important for an RJ to have an automatic, fun, and friendly personality. If you want to get a job done in this field, a strong command of the language and a good voice are always good things. Apart from this, in order to be a good radio jockey, you will also listen to good radio jockeys so that you can understand their style and later make your own by practicing.

A career as radio jockey has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. If you want to know more about a career as radio jockey, and how to become a radio jockey then continue reading the article.

Choreographer

The word “choreography" actually comes from Greek words that mean “dance writing." Individuals who opt for a career as a choreographer create and direct original dances, in addition to developing interpretations of existing dances. A Choreographer dances and utilises his or her creativity in other aspects of dance performance. For example, he or she may work with the music director to select music or collaborate with other famous choreographers to enhance such performance elements as lighting, costume and set design.

Social Media Manager

A career as social media manager involves implementing the company’s or brand’s marketing plan across all social media channels. Social media managers help in building or improving a brand’s or a company’s website traffic, build brand awareness, create and implement marketing and brand strategy. Social media managers are key to important social communication as well.

Photographer

Photography is considered both a science and an art, an artistic means of expression in which the camera replaces the pen. In a career as a photographer, an individual is hired to capture the moments of public and private events, such as press conferences or weddings, or may also work inside a studio, where people go to get their picture clicked. Photography is divided into many streams each generating numerous career opportunities in photography. With the boom in advertising, media, and the fashion industry, photography has emerged as a lucrative and thrilling career option for many Indian youths.

An individual who is pursuing a career as a producer is responsible for managing the business aspects of production. They are involved in each aspect of production from its inception to deception. Famous movie producers review the script, recommend changes and visualise the story. 

They are responsible for overseeing the finance involved in the project and distributing the film for broadcasting on various platforms. A career as a producer is quite fulfilling as well as exhaustive in terms of playing different roles in order for a production to be successful. Famous movie producers are responsible for hiring creative and technical personnel on contract basis.

Copy Writer

In a career as a copywriter, one has to consult with the client and understand the brief well. A career as a copywriter has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. Several new mediums of advertising are opening therefore making it a lucrative career choice. Students can pursue various copywriter courses such as Journalism , Advertising , Marketing Management . Here, we have discussed how to become a freelance copywriter, copywriter career path, how to become a copywriter in India, and copywriting career outlook. 

In a career as a vlogger, one generally works for himself or herself. However, once an individual has gained viewership there are several brands and companies that approach them for paid collaboration. It is one of those fields where an individual can earn well while following his or her passion. 

Ever since internet costs got reduced the viewership for these types of content has increased on a large scale. Therefore, a career as a vlogger has a lot to offer. If you want to know more about the Vlogger eligibility, roles and responsibilities then continue reading the article. 

For publishing books, newspapers, magazines and digital material, editorial and commercial strategies are set by publishers. Individuals in publishing career paths make choices about the markets their businesses will reach and the type of content that their audience will be served. Individuals in book publisher careers collaborate with editorial staff, designers, authors, and freelance contributors who develop and manage the creation of content.

Careers in journalism are filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. One cannot afford to miss out on the details. As it is the small details that provide insights into a story. Depending on those insights a journalist goes about writing a news article. A journalism career can be stressful at times but if you are someone who is passionate about it then it is the right choice for you. If you want to know more about the media field and journalist career then continue reading this article.

Individuals in the editor career path is an unsung hero of the news industry who polishes the language of the news stories provided by stringers, reporters, copywriters and content writers and also news agencies. Individuals who opt for a career as an editor make it more persuasive, concise and clear for readers. In this article, we will discuss the details of the editor's career path such as how to become an editor in India, editor salary in India and editor skills and qualities.

Individuals who opt for a career as a reporter may often be at work on national holidays and festivities. He or she pitches various story ideas and covers news stories in risky situations. Students can pursue a BMC (Bachelor of Mass Communication) , B.M.M. (Bachelor of Mass Media) , or  MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication) to become a reporter. While we sit at home reporters travel to locations to collect information that carries a news value.  

Corporate Executive

Are you searching for a Corporate Executive job description? A Corporate Executive role comes with administrative duties. He or she provides support to the leadership of the organisation. A Corporate Executive fulfils the business purpose and ensures its financial stability. In this article, we are going to discuss how to become corporate executive.

Multimedia Specialist

A multimedia specialist is a media professional who creates, audio, videos, graphic image files, computer animations for multimedia applications. He or she is responsible for planning, producing, and maintaining websites and applications. 

Quality Controller

A quality controller plays a crucial role in an organisation. He or she is responsible for performing quality checks on manufactured products. He or she identifies the defects in a product and rejects the product. 

A quality controller records detailed information about products with defects and sends it to the supervisor or plant manager to take necessary actions to improve the production process.

Production Manager

A QA Lead is in charge of the QA Team. The role of QA Lead comes with the responsibility of assessing services and products in order to determine that he or she meets the quality standards. He or she develops, implements and manages test plans. 

Process Development Engineer

The Process Development Engineers design, implement, manufacture, mine, and other production systems using technical knowledge and expertise in the industry. They use computer modeling software to test technologies and machinery. An individual who is opting career as Process Development Engineer is responsible for developing cost-effective and efficient processes. They also monitor the production process and ensure it functions smoothly and efficiently.

AWS Solution Architect

An AWS Solution Architect is someone who specializes in developing and implementing cloud computing systems. He or she has a good understanding of the various aspects of cloud computing and can confidently deploy and manage their systems. He or she troubleshoots the issues and evaluates the risk from the third party. 

Azure Administrator

An Azure Administrator is a professional responsible for implementing, monitoring, and maintaining Azure Solutions. He or she manages cloud infrastructure service instances and various cloud servers as well as sets up public and private cloud systems. 

Computer Programmer

Careers in computer programming primarily refer to the systematic act of writing code and moreover include wider computer science areas. The word 'programmer' or 'coder' has entered into practice with the growing number of newly self-taught tech enthusiasts. Computer programming careers involve the use of designs created by software developers and engineers and transforming them into commands that can be implemented by computers. These commands result in regular usage of social media sites, word-processing applications and browsers.

Information Security Manager

Individuals in the information security manager career path involves in overseeing and controlling all aspects of computer security. The IT security manager job description includes planning and carrying out security measures to protect the business data and information from corruption, theft, unauthorised access, and deliberate attack 

ITSM Manager

Automation test engineer.

An Automation Test Engineer job involves executing automated test scripts. He or she identifies the project’s problems and troubleshoots them. The role involves documenting the defect using management tools. He or she works with the application team in order to resolve any issues arising during the testing process. 

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• School Education /

Essay on Health and Fitness for Students

• Updated on  
• Nov 18, 2023

What did you play in your sports period at school? Was it football, Cricket, Badminton, or any other sports? Maintaining good physical health requires you to take good care of your body and in most cases, your mental fitness also. From an early age, we are taught how to take care of our health and fitness. School students are often encouraged to write an essay on health and fitness, where they must come up with ideas about how to keep themselves physically and mentally fit and the benefits of a healthy life. Well, if you have not, you need not to worry. I’ve got your back. I’ll be providing you with a detailed explanation about staying fit and how you can add them to your essay on health and fitness. Stay tuned! 

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay on Health and Fitness in 100 Words
• 2 Essay on Health and Fitness in 200 Words
• 3 Essay on Health and Fitness in 300 Words

Also Read: Best Fitness Exercises for Students Studying Abroad

Essay on Health and Fitness in 100 Words

Also Read: 7 Ways on Which Good Mental Health Leads to Good Physical Health

Essay on Health and Fitness in 200 Words

‘It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.’ – Mahatma Gandhi

Essay on Health and Fitness in 300 Words

Related Articles

To write an essay on health and fitness, you are required to describe how one can achieve his or her fitness goals. The health and fitness lifestyle depends on three factors; physical exercise, balanced diet and adequate rest. To achieve a healthy and fit life, you must focus on all these aspects. Describe them in detail and provide a positive conclusion.

Regular exercise boosts cardiovascular exercises, strength training, or flexibility workouts, enhances cardiovascular health, and strengthens muscles. A balanced and nutritious diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats is necessary. Adequate and quality sleep is crucial for physical recovery, cognitive function, and emotional well-being. The release of endorphins during physical activity helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, promoting a positive mindset. Health and fitness are not isolated concepts but interconnected elements of a holistic lifestyle. 

When on a diet, consider these fat-free foods: Beans and legumes, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, skim milk, egg whites, and yoghurt.

For more information on such interesting topics for your school, visit our essay writing page and make sure to follow Leverage Edu .

Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Maintaining Health — Physical Exercise

Essay Examples on Physical Exercise

Hook examples for physical exercise essays, anecdotal hook.

As I pushed myself to finish that last mile, my heart pounding and sweat pouring down my face, I realized that exercise isn't just about physical fitness; it's a journey of self-discovery.

Question Hook

Why is it that some people find solace in the rhythmic beat of their running shoes on the pavement, while others dread the mere thought of breaking a sweat? What makes exercise such a diverse and personal experience?

Quotation Hook

"Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body; it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity." These words from John F. Kennedy emphasize the profound connection between physical exercise and mental well-being.

Health Benefits Hook

Physical exercise isn't just about sculpting a perfect physique; it's a lifeline to health. Delve into the myriad benefits, from reducing the risk of chronic diseases to boosting immunity, that come with regular physical activity.

Motivation and Discipline Hook

What does it take to overcome the allure of a comfortable couch and choose the treadmill instead? The journey of self-discipline and motivation in the realm of physical exercise is a fascinating one to explore.

Exercise and Mental Well-being Hook

Physical exercise isn't just about improving the body; it's about enhancing the mind. Dive into the science of endorphins, the "feel-good" chemicals, and how they can transform your mental state through exercise.

Personal Transformation Hook

For many, physical exercise isn't just a routine; it's a profound transformation. Share stories of individuals who've turned their lives around through fitness, demonstrating the power of resilience and determination.

Exercise Trends and Innovations Hook

From CrossFit to wearable technology, the world of physical exercise is constantly evolving. Explore the latest trends and innovations that are reshaping how we approach fitness and well-being.

Physical Activity on Blood Pressure Levels in Adults

The impact of nutrition and physical activity on health, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

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Examining The Link Between Exercise and Longevity

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My Personal Physical Fitness Program: Physical Goals and Opportunities

The effects of physical activity on mental health, the best exercises to gain muscle and strength , recreational soccer: cardiovascular health, physical fitness, and mental health, physical fitness: the evolution of "exercise", possibly the most important factor in weight loss, an important reasons to do exercise, the importance of sports and outdoor activities for children’s development, fitness training program: planning and performance, the positive impact of exercise in protecting the brain from alzheimer's disease, effects of ignorance to regular body exercise, physical therapy: today it hurts, tomorrow it works, importance of optimal dynamic warm-up, how sports activities help to increase learning abilities, your motivation to do sports, we should care about sedentary behavior, the importance of sports in life, the importance of healthy eating and exercise for children, weight loss: the role of healthy eating and exercising, how an individual’s personality can impact sports performance.

Physical exercise is the performance of some activity in order to develop or maintain physical fitness and overall health.

Physical exercises are generally grouped into three types: aerobic exercise (running, cycling, swimming, brisk walking, skipping rope, rowing, hiking, dancing, playing tennis, continuous training, and long distance running), anaerobic exercise (push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, squats, bench press, etc.), and flexibility exercises (stretching).

Regular exercise helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Exercising improves brain performance Fat and muscle are completely different types of tissue. Muscle cannot turn into fat. People who don’t regularly exercise may lose up to 80% of their muscle strength by age 65.

Relevant topics

• Mental Health
• Human Physiology
• Healthy Food

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In-classroom physical activity breaks program among school children in sri lanka: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

• 1 Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health, Faculty of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
• 2 Physical Activity Research Group, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD, Australia
• 3 School of Physical Education, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China

Background: The problem of sedentary behavior among primary school children is alarming, with numbers gradually increasing worldwide, including Sri Lanka. Physical activity interventions within classroom settings have been acknowledged as a critical strategy to increase students’ movement behaviors while enhancing their academic achievement and health. Yet, the busy curriculum and challenging educational demands encourage more sedentary classroom behavior. Hence, this study aims to develop and evaluate an in-classroom physical activity breaks (IcPAB) intervention among fifth graders in Sri Lanka.

Methods: The study will adopt a randomized controlled trial (RCT), comprising an in-classroom physical activity breaks program group and a control group to evaluate the effects of IcPAB on academic achievement, movement behaviors and health outcomes. The intervention design is based on the capability (C), opportunity (O) and motivation (M) behavior (B) (COM-B) model. A least 198 fifth graders will be recruited from two schools in Uva province, Sri Lanka. The recruitment process will start in late 2022. Class teachers of the intervention group will implement 5-min activity breaks at least three times a day after completing a training session. The primary variables include mathematics and reading achievement. The secondary variables include physical activity levels, steps count, sedentary behavior, body mass index, aerobic fitness, and perceived stress. Data collection will be implemented at pre-test and post-test, respectively. Intervention fidelity and the process will also be evaluated.

Discussion: The IcPAB is designed to prevent pure educational time loss by introducing curriculum-integrated short bouts of physical active breaks into the classroom routine. If the IcPAB is effective, it can (1) improve the mathematics and reading achievement of fifth-grade girls and boys, which is a significant factor determining the performance at the Grade Five National Scholarship Examination in Sri Lanka; (2) improve movement behaviors as well as physical and mental health outcomes among primary school students. Sequentially, the IcPAB will enrich school-based physical activity intervention approaches which can in turn bring academic and health benefits to primary school children in Sri Lanka.

Trial registration: The first version of the trial was registered with the ISRCTN registry (Ref: ISRCTN52180050) on 20/07/2022.

1 Introduction

The effects of physical activity (PA) on academic achievement ( 1 , 2 ), movement behaviors ( 3 , 4 ) and health outcomes such as body mass index [BMI; ( 5 , 6 )], aerobic fitness ( 7 , 8 ), and psychological health such as stress/ test anxiety levels ( 9 , 10 ) among school children have been long established. However, reports including the elementary education sector highlighted that children should meet the recommended daily PA behavior levels, such as engaging in at least 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA; ( 11 )]. One primary factor influencing this figure is that children have long seated learning time in the classroom due to high academic curriculum demands in primary school ( 12 , 13 ). As a result, sedentary behavior among primary school children has become alarming, with figures steadily increasing worldwide ( 14 , 15 ).

A situation analysis conducted in 2016 showed that the learning time is less activity-based ( 16 ) in Sri Lanka. National surveillance data also indicated that 63 to 72% of students (age range = 6–12 years old) engaged in sedentary activities ( 17 ). Among the five grades in primary schools in Sri Lanka, the grade five curriculum is one of the most loaded and competitive in teaching and learning ( 18 – 20 ). The underlying reason is that grade five students are expected to sit for a national-level competitive scholarship examination in addition to their curriculum-related reviews at the term tests ( 18 , 19 , 21 , 22 ). Therefore, the teachers and students are tense in preparing for the scholarship examination and surpassing the cutout marks while achieving the required competency levels for fifth graders ( 16 , 19 , 23 , 24 ). This has increased the sedentary behavior with more traditional seated learning as the main objective of the teachers is to improve the students’ academic achievement. As a consequence, most of the fifth graders are identified to be physically inactive ( 17 , 25 – 27 ), below recommended body mass index (BMI) percentiles ( 17 , 25 ), aerobically unfit ( 18 ), and stressful ( 16 , 19 , 20 , 23 , 24 , 28 ). Therefore, there is a need to target fifth graders in primary schools in Sri Lanka to prevent grade-related sedentary behavior and obtain health benefits and maximum academic performance.

It has been observed previously that PA breaks can improve the number of steps by 18% and minutes of MVPA by 26% during the school day ( 29 , 30 ). Hence, there needs to be enablement to help manage the increased academic curriculum, and classroom settings are recommended as the best setting to achieve the benefits of PA ( 31 – 34 ). In the recent decade, few countries introduced the concept of in-classroom physical activity breaks (IcPAB) as a means of enhancing academic achievement ( 12 ), physical behaviors ( 35 ), and health outcomes ( 10 , 36 ) by changing traditional seated learning into active learning among elementary school students. Still, more IcPAB initiatives are needed due to several limitations emphasized by a recent review based on the data from 1,538 primary school students (from 7 to 12 years old) in 10 studies ( 37 ):

(1) Not enough studies focused on introducing integrated PA into academic content through classroom-based interventions ( 37 – 40 ). (2) Most of those studies are introduced for populations from high-income Western countries ( 37 , 39 , 41 ) such as the USA, Australia, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The intervention effects based on gender are understudied. (3) Different durations were used in previous IcPAB initiatives, ranging from 10 min to 4,800 min ( 37 ), even though teachers prefer activity breaks that will take no more than 5 minutes ( 37 ), and the effectiveness of five-minute IcPAB interventions are understudied ( 37 ). (4) Previous studies demonstrated average methodological quality, with concerns around the randomization procedure, handling of missing data, outcome and process evaluation ( 37 ). This calls for future study protocols with a more robust methodological quality to avoid potential risks of bias in the IcPAB interventions, in addition to the well-explained outcome and process evaluation and fidelity methods. (5) Few studies used theoretical frameworks and evidence from related stakeholders such as teachers in designing IcPAB interventions. The review suggests ( 37 ) that robust PA interventions should be backed by well-established theories such as the capability (C), opportunity (O) and motivation (M) behavior (B) (COM-B) model ( 42 ) while considering the evidence-based opinions of the beneficiaries of the IcPAB in implementing an IcPAB program.

Therefore, there is a need for more IcPAB initiatives integrated into the curriculum across different geographic locations/ cultures ( 37 ) that require shorter bouts of time [i.e., around 5 minutes ( 12 , 43 )] with strong methodological quality ( 39 , 44 ), outcome and process evaluation procedures and theoretical underpinnings ( 37 , 39 , 44 ). Also, the moderating effects of gender on the intervention should be further examined. Thus, by addressing the research limitations, this study aims to develop, implement, and evaluate a 12-week IcPAB program among grade five primary school children in Sri Lanka.

Depending on the aforementioned rationale, the specific research questions of this study include: (1) What is the impact of the IcPAB intervention on the primary outcome, academic achievement (mathematics and reading achievement) during the school day? (2) What is the impact of the IcPAB intervention on the secondary outcomes, movement behaviors (PA levels, steps count and sedentary behavior) and health outcomes (BMI, aerobic fitness, and perceived stress) during the school day? It is hypothesized that the IcPAB group will show improvement in all measures compared to the control group.

This study received ethical approval from the Ethics Review Committee of the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka (Ref: UOK/ERC/SS/2022/009) and Hong Kong Baptist University (Ref: SOSC-SPEH-2022-23_113). The trial was retrospectively registered with the ISRCTN registry (Ref: ISRCTN52180050). Methods are reported by adhering to the Consolidation Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines and the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) Statement throughout the study. The completed SPIRIT Checklist is added as a Supplementary material S1 .

2.1 Study design and selection of subjects

A single-blinded parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT) will evaluate the intervention effects of IcPAB compared to a control group. Target participants will be the fifth graders in government primary schools. Based on the data shared by the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, the COVID-19 pandemic severity was slight in the Bandarawela Education Zone (city) in Badulla District. Therefore, the government schools of Bandarawela Education Zone were contacted to initiate the recruitment process in late 2022. The age range of the grade five students is 9 to 10 years old. The targeted population is exposed to 6 hours of regular classroom time (7.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.), including a 20-min lunch break according to the government primary school norms in Sri Lanka. Within the government primary school setting, the teacher in charge of a class should teach all subjects in the syllabus for the class, such as mother tongue, mathematics, religion, environment and English. Depending on the interests of the schools, the teachers will conduct additional classes after regular school time to prepare the students for the year-end national scholarship examination. Therefore, the study was designed to be implemented only during the standard classroom time for 12 weeks.

Based on GPower 3.1 software, through a priori power analysis, it was estimated to obtain at least 198 participants for both the intervention and control groups to expect an effect size of 0.21 [Cohen’s f , converted from d , ( 45 , 46 )] on academic achievement (mathematics) by providing a power of 0.8 (1-β) with an alpha of 0.05 to test the primary hypotheses of the study with an estimated 10% dropout rate [dropout rates were less than 10% in previous studies ( 10 , 33 , 47 )] at the post-test/ follow-upstage.

Therefore, it is anticipated to recruit five to six classes (30 to 40 students per class) from two government schools to conduct the study to reach the required minimum sample size. Block randomization technique via MS Excel, will be used to randomize the sample classes by an assessor who is blinded to the intervention content and outcome assessment.

Permission was obtained first from the Bandarawela zonal education director to contact eligible government schools. For two schools to be eligible, grade five education must be offered, the students should not be exposed to similar interventions, and the principals must consent to join the research project. Once the principals grant the permission, the research team will contact the teachers in charge of the fifth-grade classes.

Teachers in charge of classes, parents/ guardians, and children at participating schools will be distributed with an informed consent form ( Supplementary material S2 ) in plain language during the parents’ meeting days organized by the teachers. After obtaining the permissions, the principal investigator and the research assistants will visit the schools to collect data by giving prior notice to the teachers in charge of classes. The teachers will deliver the IcPAB. Therefore, all the students in the intervention classes will be exposed to IcPAB.

However, data will be collected only from the students meeting the consent requirements. The study will not include data from students with special health conditions and special education needs. An overview of the participant flow diagram ( Figure 1 ) and the intervention schedule for enrolment and assessments [SPIRIT Figure ( Figure 2 )] are provided below.

Figure 1 . Flowchart of participants through the IcPAB program.

Figure 2 . Intervention schedule for enrolment and assessments (SPIRIT Figure).

2.2 Intervention

2.2.1 development of the intervention.

Development of the intervention is facilitated through six steps. The conceptual design of mapping COM-B onto the suggested research work and the specification of each target behavior in developing and implementing the intervention is provided in Supplementary material S3 .

Step 1: Systematically reviewed RCT-based IcPAB interventions for primary school students to identify the current practices at the global level. The review findings have been published elsewhere ( 37 ) by recommending the use of COM-B model as the theoretical basis for designing IcPAB interventions.

Step 2: Conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 primary school government teachers in Sri Lanka to analyse their perceptions on implementing IcPAB among Grade five students. The interview findings, which was thematically analyzed based on the COM-B model have been published elsewhere ( 20 ).

Based on the review ( 37 ) and the interview findings ( 20 ), the intervention was developed by embedding the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-behavior (COM-B) model ( 20 , 42 , 48 – 50 ). The underlying theory of the COM-B model mentions that outcome behaviors must be understood in their context with consideration given to the individuals’ existing capability, opportunity and motivation to achieve these target behaviors ( 38 , 42 , 48 , 51 , 52 ). For example, it should be mentioned that the COM-B factors have been considered in IcPAB intervention and how they are addressed through the behavior change techniques (BCTs) ( 38 , 53 – 55 ), which are defined as the active, observable, replicable, and irreducible components ( 42 , 54 ) of the COM-B model.

Step 3: Identify the related COM-B that must be addressed to develop and implement the IcPAB. For example, as explicated in Table 1 , it was identified that the class teachers’ dress code as a physical capability-related factor that should be concerned of when designing the IcPAB activities. Because teachers highlighted that they would have physiological limitations to demonstrate IcPAB as they are not wearing sports friendly wear at the classroom.

Table 1 . Utilizing COM-B and BCTV1 taxonomy to develop and implement the intervention based on interview findings.

Step 4: Applied the BCTs from the BCTv1 taxonomy to mitigate the identified behavioral issue ( Table 1 ) to enhance academic achievement, movement behaviors and the health outcomes of the target group. For example, it was identified that the teachers’ doubts on physical capability factors such as dress code-related physiological limits can be mitigated by providing credible written materials and videos of how previous IcPAB practices are conducted despite teacher age and dress (BCT 9.1) and telling teachers individually that they can successfully conduct IcPAB frequently (BCT 15.1). Further details are provided in 2.2.2 below.

Step 5: Designed IcPAB activities and facilitator packs with local educators based on the evidence collected from the review and the interviews. For example, a manual, logbooks, timers, WhatsApp messaging group and 20 IcPAB cards were prepared as intervention materials. The details of IcPAB cards will be illustrated in 2.2.2 below.

Step 6: Tested the IcPAB cards in a pilot test with two teachers from two classes in one school. This school will not be involved in the main intervention. The aim of this pilot is to test the ability of the teachers to follow the instructions provided on IcPAB cards and to observe the students’ reaction toward the activity breaks.

Step 7: As elaborated in 2.2.2, conduct a training for the intervention class teachers to be familiar with the IcPAB program.

The first six steps were completed, and the Step 7 will be facilitated in future.

2.2.2 Delivery of the IcPAB in the intervention group

The IcPAB program will introduce 20 cards among all intervention classes. The interviews ( 20 ) conducted during the intervention development stage (Step 2 in section 2.2.1) explored that activities which take around 5 minutes would be feasible to implement in class due to high density of teaching content in each regular class. Also, the previous evidence assured IcPAB, which requires less than 5 min to provide positive intervention effects ( 12 , 56 ). Therefore, the teachers will be requested to implement at least five-minute PA breaks three times daily. Each activity should be implemented for at least 5 minutes.

The IcPAB cards can be incorporated into the mathematics and language reading lessons. All the cards are designed for teachers to teach mathematics and language lessons using physically active teaching methods while reducing the fifth graders’ school day seated learning time without interrupting academic teaching time. The nature of the activities will also assist students to improve their aerobic fitness and enjoy learning by forgetting any stressors. Each card has a picture resembling a particular IcPAB. The back of the card has written instructions on performing the activities in addition to the instructions provided in the IcPAB manual. The manual was designed for Sri Lankan teachers with pictures by merging the activities with the fifth-grade curriculum with PA.

The first card is designed to implement a breathing exercise as students require stress relief. Hence, the teachers can choose either the first IcPAB card with another card as the first activity of each day or another activity card. Even if the teachers decide not to use the IcPAB card one, they are given instructions on each card to do a little breathing before starting any activity if deemed necessary. Teachers are reminded on each card to use encouraging words (such as very good) to finish the activity and refer to the lesson.

For example, as provided in Supplementary material S4 , the first card (IcPAB card ID: IcPAB 3) is designed to help the students with arithmetic skills. If a teacher wants the students to relax by doing a breathing exercise, the students will be instructed to stand comfortably and inhale- exhale three times by raising up and down on the toes while moving the hands up and down in the same rhythm. Then, the students will solve a multiplication problem given by the teacher (if the problem is more complicated, ask students to use a piece of paper while standing) and jump on the spot equal to the obtained answer. Next, the teacher will repeatedly solve the question with the students and jump on the place. The students will be given a verbal appreciation with or without a clap.

The teacher training (BCT 6.1) will be the primary enablement of the teachers to engage in the intervention. Teachers involved in the intervention will receive one-hour training 1 week before the commencement of the IcPAB intervention. The principal investigator will conduct the training session in a classroom after the regular school time upon the teachers’ availability. Teachers will receive intervention materials such as the IcPAB manual, IcPAB cards, timers, and the logbook. Intervention materials are written in the local language (Sinhala). However, English terms are used in the materials when deemed necessary.

By addressing the findings from the interviews ( 20 ), the training session with the application of the BCT taxonomy (i.e., BCT 4.1; 4.2; 5.1; 5.3; 9.1) will cover (1) the importance and benefits of IcPAB by referring to previous research findings, (2) rationale of introducing the current IcPAB activities, (3) recording of the logbooks (4) demonstration of IcPAB and (5) questions and answer round. i.e., at training, teachers will be given credible written materials and videos of how previous IcPAB practices are conducted despite teachers’ age and dress (BCT 4.2; BCT 5.3 and BCT 9.1). The teachers will be convinced that the IcPAB can be implemented without changing into a sporty dress by demonstrating some activities during training in addition to the assisted delivery in the classroom (BCT 6.1). Also, teachers will be convinced about the risks of prolonged seating and how such risks can be minimized through IcPAB can be used (BCT 5.1; BCT 5.3 with research evidence (BCT 9.1) in addition to how IcPAB helped enhance student performance in various subjects (BCT 4.2 and 5.3) in other countries.

The principal investigator will deliver and observe the IcPAB program during the first two weeks of intervention to ensure adherence to the intervention protocol by following a previous practice ( 12 ). Therefore, extensive demonstrations of the active break activities will not be provided during the training. i.e., Following a previous intervention practice called assisted delivery ( 12 ), the principal investigator will deliver the intervention activities together with classroom teachers during the first week of the intervention. During the second week, the principal investigator will observe teachers doing the activities and provide support if needed. This assisted delivery method (BCT 6.1, BCT 4.1) during the first week of the intervention and the IcPAB manual (BCT 9.1) will enable the teacher to engage in the intervention activities continuously. Teachers are given the opportunity to replicate/ modify the PA breaks. If this is done, the teachers will record their actions in the logbook while noting the detailed information on the last pages of the IcPAB manual. Replicated/ modified activities will be given feedback by the principal investigator.

Additionally, prompts (BCT 7.1) such as WhatsApp messages and interactive discussions (BCT 15.1) with the teachers will be used as techniques to implement the intervention to remind and persuade them to carry out the IcPAB each week at least to meet the minimum required dose (BCT 1.1). Furthermore, should the teachers face any difficulty, they will be assisted by the principal investigator or the research assistants to manage the issues (BCT 1.1) while providing informative, evaluative feedback (BCT 2.2) about their progress with the intervention activities. The feedback will also include the satisfaction of students.

However, should the children or the classroom teachers not want to implement intervention activities, they can do so without any reason. No participants will be advantaged or disadvantaged in any way by doing so. Parents, children, and teachers will be reassured that they can withdraw their permission anytime during this project without penalty. No foreseeable added risk was identified above the risks of everyday life. In addition, implementing IcPAB would not harm the students’ physical and emotional health or the pure educational time as the teachers will be given complete autonomy to choose the most appropriate time to carry on IcPAB.

2.2.3 Control group

The classes that will be randomized in relation to the control group will not receive the IcPAB within 12 weeks of the intervention. However, those schools will be given all the resources to implement IcPAB activities once the post-test data collection is fulfilled. During the intervention period, the control group’s teachers will be contacted once weekly through WhatsApp phone calls by the principal investigator and twice a week physically by the principal investigator/ research assistants. Correspondence will be maintained to obtain information about their lesson delivery patterns to ensure that the control group did not receive interventions to change their normal study modes.

2.3 Measurements

Synthesis of primary (academic achievement) and secondary outcomes (movement behaviors and health outcomes) measurements in this study are shown in Supplementary material S5 . All measurement outcomes will be compared among the control group. Data collection for measuring outcomes will be conducted by adhering to the Helsinki Declaration, national and school-level safety protocols and COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

2.3.1 Primary outcomes

Based on the interviews conducted with 21 teachers from the nine provinces of Sri Lanka (interview findings were published elsewhere; ( 20 )), mathematics and reading performance were identified as the most important subjects for the students to perform well at the Grade Five national level scholarship examination. In the Sri Lankan and international contexts, it is evident that mathematics and reading performance are the key pillars of elementary education’s academic achievement ( 10 , 12 , 32 , 33 , 57 ).

2.3.1.1 Mathematics achievement

Mathematics achievement will be evaluated through a curriculum-based standardized test designed by the teaching officers experienced in Grade five mathematics performance-related evaluation. This test will consist of 60 questions to assess the expected performance of a given term. Students will complete the test within 45 min. The principal investigator and the classroom teacher will collaboratively administer the test.

2.3.1.2 Reading achievement

Reading achievement will be evaluated through a standardized reading test specific to the Sri Lankan Grade Five curriculum. Three grade five teachers have chosen two paragraphs to be used at the baseline and at the end of the intervention to evaluate the students’ reading achievement. The paragraphs include around 200 to 250 words; each student will read the sections for 2 minutes. Reading performance will be evaluated by a teacher who is not the student’s classroom teacher (yet a classroom teacher of the same school’s parallel grade) under the principal investigator’s distant observation.

2.3.2 Secondary outcomes

Movement behaviors such as PA levels, steps count, and sedentary behavior within regular school hours will be evaluated. Health outcomes such as BMI, aerobic fitness, and perceived stress will be assessed as other secondary outcomes.

2.3.2.1 Movement behaviors

Objective data for the light physical activity (LPA), moderate physical activity (MPA), vigorous physical activity (VPA), MVPA, steps count, and sedentary behavior will be measured during regular school hours using waist-worn accelerometers (GT3-X triaxial model, ActiGraph LLC, Pensacola, Fla., USA). Accelerometer data will be collected for a week at baseline and the post-test (week 13).

The accelerometers will be distributed by the teachers to the students randomly on the first school day and collected back on the fifth school day of the week. The research team will demonstrate to the teachers and the students how the accelerometers should be worn on the first day. However, due to the limited number of accelerometers, this study will use a randomly selected subsample (n = 47) to collect data to measure all the movement behaviors following previous research practice ( 12 , 34 , 58 , 59 ). After accelerometers are randomly distributed to the students on the first day, the teachers will prepare a list assigning each student to a specific numbered accelerometer to ensure that the same child wears the same device every day during all the data collection stages. Then, the research team will receive another version of the same list where the students’ anonymous identification number is related to the accelerometer. The classroom teacher will also record absent students assigned with an accelerometer, and a researcher assistant will verify the data during the school visits.

Based on previous research practices ( 12 , 60 ), only the accelerometer data, which will be identified for wearing more than five school hours on at least one school day, will be included in the analysis for intervention effects ( 12 , 60 ). Following the standard practices in the studies involving children, non-wear time will be defined as 20 min of consecutive zeros ( 12 , 31 , 61 ). Freedson cut points will be used to classify movement behavior intensities based on the data collected in 15-s epochs ( 12 , 62 ). Due to the focus on in-school PA, a longer wear time is not deemed necessary for the current study, as recommended by recent scholars ( 63 ). To confirm in-school wear-time for valid days, a further visual check of each accelerometer profile will be undertaken ( 63 ). Therefore, research assistants will randomly visit the schools during the data collection week to ensure that the students wear the same device accurately during school hours.

2.3.2.2 Health outcomes (BMI, aerobic fitness, perceived stress)

Students’ weight in kilograms to the nearest 0.1 kg ( 27 , 63 , 64 ) and height in centimeters to the nearest 0.1 cm ( 27 , 63 , 64 ) will be recorded using a standard stadiometer and a weighing scale. Body weight in kilograms will be divided by height in meters squared to measure the BMI ( 27 , 63 , 64 ). Students’ age and gender-specified BMI categories will be identified using the calculator introduced by the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka ( 65 ).

The multistage shuttle run/ beep test [66] will be used to measure aerobic fitness, proven highly reliable and valid among school children ( 32 , 66 ). Results from the test will be used to calculate VO 2 max using the equation proposed by previous studies ( 67 , 68 ). Students will be asked to run back and forth on a 20 m course as instructed by a sound signal emitted from a pre-recorded tape, ensuring they touch the 20 m line with their foot ( 32 ). The sound signal frequency increases by 0.5 km/h every minute, indicating the next stage (level), starting with a speed of 8.5 km/h. The test ends when participants fail to reach the line before the signal.

Perceived stress will be measured using a translated Sinhala version of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire 8–11 (PSQ8-11 ( 67 )). PSQ8-11 will measure two subscales: perceived psychological stress (nine questions) and physiological stress (10 questions). This 19-item questionnaire requires the students to recall their feelings from the previous week. The students will self-rate their responses on a four-point Likert scale (1 = never, 2 = sometimes, 3 = often, 4 = very often). A higher score on the questionnaire will indicate greater perceived stress ( 67 ).

2.4 Fidelity of the intervention

The primary source for assessing the fidelity will be the logbooks of the teachers. An example of a log sheet can be found in Supplementary material S6 . Teachers will indicate how many IcPAB they implemented daily throughout the intervention period. Teachers will be reminded every day via WhatsApp messages to carry out IcPAB, and a research team member will visit the schools once a week to check if the logbooks are duly filled. The personal visits to the intervention schools will also minimize issues with time management and PA breaks implementation from the teachers’ side. In addition, accelerometer data from the post-test will be compared with the responses obtained through teacher and student interviews at the post-test.

2.5 Process evaluation

During the intervention, the principal investigator will receive teacher feedback and give subjective evaluations on how the teachers implement the IcPAB. At the same time, the research team will obtain verbal feedback once a week from the students on IcPAB’s ability to provide fun and engagement using two close-ended questions: (1) Did you enjoy the activities today? (2) Was it easy for you to follow the instructions and do the activities today? This ongoing feedback-receiving process will be used to overcome any identified or foreseen challenges to implement the IcPAB program ( 31 , 43 ).

In addition, after the 12-week RCT intervention program, a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire will be distributed among the intervention group’s teachers and students to analyse process evaluation outcomes ( Supplementary material S7 ). The teachers’ questionnaire consists of eight items, while the students’ questionnaire consists of nine items. Both the questionnaires were adopted from previous research work ( 56 , 69 ).

2.5.1 Sustainability evaluation

As a sustainability strategy to track the program for future adoptions all the teacher facilitators and randomly selected student groups will be contacted. The aim is to explore the perceptions of teachers and students in attending and implementing in-classroom PA breaks program through a semi structured interview study based on the capability, opportunity, and motivation behaviors model. The interview guide is available in Supplementary material S8 .

2.6 Data analysis

Data will be statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS software version 28. A randomization check will be performed using independent t-tests (for continuous outcomes) and chi-square (for categorical variables) tests ( 70 ). Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and percentages will be used to describe the baseline characteristics of the sample and the attrition rates. Primary analysis will be handled with an intention-to-treat modified (m-ITT) approach ( 71 ). Missing values analysis will be conducted to observe whether the data are missing completely at random (MCAR). Missing data values will be handled using the multiple imputation method with chained equations.

To test the effectiveness of the IcPAB, generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) will be used by linking to the dependent variables at the individual level (students) and group level (intervention vs. control) with time (pre to post-test) ( 12 , 72 , 73 ). A random intercept will be used to account for the repeated measures of the subjects ( 35 ). To test the moderation effects by gender, an interaction test will be conducted via GLMM by setting group-by-time-by-gender as the moderator ( 35 ). A 5% level (two-tailed) will be used as the statistical significance cut-off point ( 74 ). All the intervention effects will be reported based on the type III tests of fixed effects of GLMM. The estimates of the impact sizes will be written based on the estimated coefficients ( β ) with the 95% confidence intervals/ odds ratio for those estimates based on previous intervention effect report practices for IcPAB ( 31 , 63 ) in addition to the mean changes in the intervention and control groups. The odds ratio (OR), where OR = 1.68, 3.47, and 6.71 are equivalent to Cohen’s d  = 0.2 (small), 0.5 (medium), and 0.8 (large), will be used for the interpretations, respectively, ( 75 ). Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis to the m-ITT results will be facilitated by considering all the subjects who complete all the baseline and post-test measurements for all the primary and secondary outcomes to ensure the robustness of the primary data assessment and strengthen the conclusions and credibility of the study’s findings.

3 Discussion

The primary aim of this RCT is to investigate the effects of the IcPAB program on the mathematics and reading achievement of fifth graders in Sri Lanka. Secondarily, the intervention effects of the LPA, MPA, VPA, MVPA, steps count, and sedentary behavior will be evaluated in addition to the health outcomes such as BMI, aerobic fitness, and perceived stress.

This intervention has addressed several recommendations and limitations pointed out by previous studies: (1) To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first IcPAB intervention, which will be implemented among governmental primary school girls and boys in Sri Lanka by integrating mathematics and reading curriculum components into the IcPAB content. The intervention will analyse its moderation effects by gender. Thus, this intervention’s findings will fill an existing population gap and add new knowledge to academia ( 39 , 41 ). (2) It is reported that the IcPAB, which requires a more prolonged duration per activity, are less feasible ( 12 , 39 , 76 ). At the same time, teachers prefer shorter bouts of IcPAB, at least at most 5 minutes ( 20 , 37 ). This intervention will provide more evidence of the effects of using five-minute curriculum-integrated PA breaks.

(3) The intervention uses a RCT with a parallel single-masked design, ensuring a low bias risk to its methodological quality ( 39 , 41 , 44 ). Also, the protocol contains a precise data analysis plan for handling missing data and examining the data with a sensitivity analysis. (4) Intervention fidelity and process evaluation mechanisms will be systematically followed and reported to ensure the feasibility of the RCT in the ‘real-world’ context ( 12 , 39 ). As for the primary outcome evaluations, curriculum-based measurements are designed. Curriculum-based measures were recommended by the previous researchers due to its sensitivity toward small changes ( 12 , 39 ) and the ability to be administered frequently ( 12 , 39 ).

In addition, this intervention will use accelerometer data to analyse the effects of movement behaviors. This is a strength of the IcPAB intervention, as objective measures to record PA levels, steps count, and sedentary behavior are strongly recommended ( 12 , 44 ). Furthermore, the effects of IcPAB on BMI, aerobic fitness and stress levels are under-researched among preadolescents ( 67 , 77 – 81 ). In particular, higher stress levels among fifth graders in Sri Lanka are a critical issue ( 18 , 28 , 81 ). Global evidence also suggests that there are few efforts to be found in analyzing the effects of academic load on stress levels among preadolescents and adolescents ( 67 , 77 – 81 ). (5) The intervention materials were developed with fifth-grade teachers in Sri Lanka by analyzing the current capabilities, opportunities, and motivations of the prospective IcPAB implementors ( 20 ). Therefore, this intervention is equipped with a theoretical foundation, COM-B model ( 38 , 39 , 82 ). Thus, the IcPAB program will address these facets, a significant strength of this RCT.

3.1 Limitations

Despite the strengths mentioned above, it is possible to indirectly affect the fidelity of the intervention due to the ongoing economic crisis and post-COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka ( 83 , 84 ). For example, the sudden closure of schools for a few days will reduce the number of days the IcPAB can be implemented weekly ( 83 – 85 ). Furthermore, participants were limited to the Uva Province in Sri Lanka. This will cause a representation bias in the data ( 86 ). The classes are randomized into intervention and control groups. This may cause potential contamination effects. Therefore, use of a cluster-RCT design is recommended to in the future studies similar to a previous study ( 31 ). There may be a potential for bias as the same teacher who is delivering the IcPAB records the fidelity of the intervention ( 12 ) even though the research team plans to conduct weekly observations of the frequency of conducting IcPAB. Also, the results may be limited by poor protocol compliance if few classes are included in the study as “one teacher could skew the results” ( 31 ).

Even though, this study was designed based on COM-B model to address the hindrances to implement classroom-based PA, effect of the factors such as participants’ dietary habits ( 87 ), challenges with school initiatives ( 88 ), children’s preferences for outdoor activities ( 89 ) will not be measured throughout the proposed RCT.

3.2 Significance of the study

Using the COM-B model as a theoretical underpinning and behavior change technique on teacher facilitators will provide more opportunities for children to be active at school. Active children are identified to improve their academic performance, physical behaviors, and health. Therefore, this study could improve the mathematics and reading achievement of fifth-grade girls and boys, which is a significant factor determining the performance at the Grade Five National Scholarship Examination in Sri Lanka. At the same time, the IcPAB program will help improve healthy behaviors and health, including emotional health, among primary school students. Furthermore, the IcPAB program was designed to prevent pure educational time loss by introducing curriculum-integrated short bouts of physically active breaks into the classroom routine. Therefore, future findings of this study will be significant in providing positive effects of IcPAB on primary school children as an RCT that addresses several limitations of previously implanted IcPAB programs.

Ethics statement

The studies involving humans were approved by the Ethics Review Committee of the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka (Ref: UOK/ERC/SS/2022/009) and Hong Kong Baptist University (Ref: SOSCSPEH-2022-23_113). The studies will be conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Written informed consent will be obtained from the participants' legal guardians/next of kin prior to participation in the study.

Data availability statement

Analysed data from the intervention will be published upon the completion of the intervention. Any data that would disclose the participants’ personnel information will not be made public.

Author contributions

DP: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. YD: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Validation, Writing – review & editing. CV: Conceptualization, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Writing – review & editing. WL: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Writing – review & editing. JB: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – review & editing.

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The current study is supported by the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (PF19-33094).

Acknowledgments

We thank Professor CV and the Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Australia, for providing accelerometers to conduct the study. We thank all the resource persons from Sri Lanka who contributed to developing intervention materials. Also, we acknowledge the support of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary material

The Supplementary material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1360210/full#supplementary-material

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Keywords: in-classroom physical activity breaks, behavior change wheel, academic achievement, health outcomes, fifth graders

Citation: Peiris DLIHK, Duan Y, Vandelanotte C, Liang W and Baker JS (2024) In-classroom physical activity breaks program among school children in Sri Lanka: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Front. Public Health . 12:1360210. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1360210

Received: 22 December 2023; Accepted: 09 April 2024; Published: 22 April 2024.

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Copyright © 2024 Peiris, Duan, Vandelanotte, Liang and Baker. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Yanping Duan, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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About 1 in 5 U.S. teens who’ve heard of ChatGPT have used it for schoolwork

Roughly one-in-five teenagers who have heard of ChatGPT say they have used it to help them do their schoolwork, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17. With a majority of teens having heard of ChatGPT, that amounts to 13% of all U.S. teens who have used the generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot in their schoolwork.

Teens in higher grade levels are particularly likely to have used the chatbot to help them with schoolwork. About one-quarter of 11th and 12th graders who have heard of ChatGPT say they have done this. This share drops to 17% among 9th and 10th graders and 12% among 7th and 8th graders.

There is no significant difference between teen boys and girls who have used ChatGPT in this way.

The introduction of ChatGPT last year has led to much discussion about its role in schools , especially whether schools should integrate the new technology into the classroom or ban it .

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand American teens’ use and understanding of ChatGPT in the school setting.

The Center conducted an online survey of 1,453 U.S. teens from Sept. 26 to Oct. 23, 2023, via Ipsos. Ipsos recruited the teens via their parents, who were part of its KnowledgePanel . The KnowledgePanel is a probability-based web panel recruited primarily through national, random sampling of residential addresses. The survey was weighted to be representative of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 who live with their parents by age, gender, race and ethnicity, household income, and other categories.

This research was reviewed and approved by an external institutional review board (IRB), Advarra, an independent committee of experts specializing in helping to protect the rights of research participants.

Here are the  questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and its  methodology .

Teens’ awareness of ChatGPT

Overall, two-thirds of U.S. teens say they have heard of ChatGPT, including 23% who have heard a lot about it. But awareness varies by race and ethnicity, as well as by household income:

• 72% of White teens say they’ve heard at least a little about ChatGPT, compared with 63% of Hispanic teens and 56% of Black teens.
• 75% of teens living in households that make $75,000 or more annually have heard of ChatGPT. Much smaller shares in households with incomes between $30,000 and $74,999 (58%) and less than $30,000 (41%) say the same.

Teens who are more aware of ChatGPT are more likely to use it for schoolwork. Roughly a third of teens who have heard a lot about ChatGPT (36%) have used it for schoolwork, far higher than the 10% among those who have heard a little about it.

When do teens think it’s OK for students to use ChatGPT?

For teens, whether it is – or is not – acceptable for students to use ChatGPT depends on what it is being used for.

There is a fair amount of support for using the chatbot to explore a topic. Roughly seven-in-ten teens who have heard of ChatGPT say it’s acceptable to use when they are researching something new, while 13% say it is not acceptable.

However, there is much less support for using ChatGPT to do the work itself. Just one-in-five teens who have heard of ChatGPT say it’s acceptable to use it to write essays, while 57% say it is not acceptable. And 39% say it’s acceptable to use ChatGPT to solve math problems, while a similar share of teens (36%) say it’s not acceptable.

Some teens are uncertain about whether it’s acceptable to use ChatGPT for these tasks. Between 18% and 24% say they aren’t sure whether these are acceptable use cases for ChatGPT.

Those who have heard a lot about ChatGPT are more likely than those who have only heard a little about it to say it’s acceptable to use the chatbot to research topics, solve math problems and write essays. For instance, 54% of teens who have heard a lot about ChatGPT say it’s acceptable to use it to solve math problems, compared with 32% among those who have heard a little about it.

Note: Here are the  questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and its  methodology .

• Artificial Intelligence
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Many Americans think generative AI programs should credit the sources they rely on

Americans’ use of chatgpt is ticking up, but few trust its election information, q&a: how we used large language models to identify guests on popular podcasts, striking findings from 2023, what the data says about americans’ views of artificial intelligence, most popular.

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American defender Sergiño Dest injures a knee. His Copa América availability is in doubt

United States defender Sergino Dest dribbles past Mexico forward Hirving Lozano during the first half of a CONCACAF Nations League final soccer match, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez )

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American defender Sergiño Dest injured a knee during training with PSV Eindhoven, creating doubt whether he will be able to play for the United States in the Copa América.

The 23-year-old outside back is a regular starter under U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter.

“Sergiño Dest suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury during Saturday’s training session,” PSV said in a statement Sunday. “How long the winger will be sidelined is still being investigated. That it will be an extended period is almost certain.”

Dest was sent from Barcelona to PSV in August for a season-long loan. He has two goals in 25 league matches and 37 overall games.

Dest has two goals in 33 international appearances and started all four U.S. matches at the 2022 World Cup.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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After Reports About Trump Jurors, Judge Demands Restraint From the Press

Some news reports have included details about jurors that had been aired in open court. One was excused after she developed concerns about being identified.

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By Jesse McKinley ,  Kate Christobek and Matthew Haag

• April 18, 2024

The judge in former President Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial ordered reporters to not disclose employment information about potential jurors after he excused a woman who said she was worried about her identity becoming known.

The woman, who had been seated on the jury on Tuesday, told the judge that her friends and colleagues had warned her that she had been identified as a juror in the high-profile case. Although the judge has kept prospective jurors’ names private, some have disclosed their employers and other identifying information in court.

She also said that she did not believe she could be impartial.

The judge, Juan M. Merchan, promptly dismissed her.

Moments later, Justice Merchan ordered the press to not report the answer to two queries on a lengthy questionnaire for prospective jurors: “Who is your current employer?” and “Who was your prior employer?”

The judge conceded that the information about employers was necessary for lawyers to know. But he directed that those two answers be redacted from the transcript.

Justice Merchan also said that he was concerned about news outlets publishing physical descriptions of prospective or seated jurors, asking reporters to “simply apply common sense.”

“It serves no purpose,” Justice Merchan said about publishing physical descriptions, adding that he was directing the press to “refrain from writing about anything you observe with your eyes.”

William P. Marshall, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, said that Justice Merchan’s order appeared “constitutionally suspect.” Professor Marshall said that a landmark Supreme Court ruling in a 1976 case, Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart, struck down a trial judge’s ruling barring the news media from reporting information introduced in open court.

“The presumption against prior restraint is incredibly high in First Amendment law,” Professor Marshall said. “It’s even higher when it’s publishing something that is already a matter of public record.”

Lawyers for news outlets, including The New York Times, were expected to seek clarification on the order.

With the loss of the female juror on Thursday morning, six seated jurors remain.

In early March, Justice Merchan issued an order prohibiting publicly disclosing the names of jurors, while allowing legal teams and the defendant to know their identities.

But before the trial, Mr. Trump’s lawyers requested that potential jurors not be told that the jury would be anonymous unless he or she expressed concerns. Justice Merchan told the parties that he’d “make every effort to not unnecessarily alert the jurors” to this secrecy, merely telling jurors that they would be identified in court by a number.

On Thursday, Justice Merchan seemed frustrated by news reports that included identifying characteristics of potential jurors that had been aired in open court. He said: “There’s a reason why this is an anonymous jury, and we’ve taken the measures we have taken.”

“It kind of defeats the purpose of that when so much information is put out there,” he said.

He added that “the press can write about anything the attorney and the courts discuss and anything you observe us do.”

But he also said he had the legal authority to prevent reporters from relaying employer information on prospective jurors. He added that “if you can’t stick to that, we’re going to have to see if there is anything else we can do to keep the jurors safe.”

Jesse McKinley is a Times reporter covering upstate New York, courts and politics. More about Jesse McKinley

Kate Christobek is a reporter covering the civil and criminal cases against former president Donald J. Trump for The Times. More about Kate Christobek

Matthew Haag writes about the intersection of real estate and politics in the New York region. He has been a journalist for two decades. More about Matthew Haag

Our Coverage of the Trump Hush-Money Trial

News and Analysis

Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan took a startling turn when two jurors were abruptly excused , demonstrating the challenge of picking citizens to determine the fate of a former president.

Prosecutors argued in court that with a steady stream of social media posts, Trump had violated the gag order  imposed on him seven times, urging the judge overseeing the trial to hold him in contempt.

Our reporter joined “The Daily” to explain what happened during the opening days  of the trial against Donald Trump.

More on Trump’s Legal Troubles

Key Inquiries: Trump faces several investigations  at both the state and the federal levels, into matters related to his business and political careers.

Case Tracker:  Keep track of the developments in the criminal cases  involving the former president.

What if Trump Is Convicted?: Will any of the proceedings hinder Trump’s presidential campaign? Here is what we know, and what we don’t know .

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