Experts estimate that only every fourth child in Poland meets the WHO recommendations for physical activity, exercising at least one hour a day. The efficiency of the young generation has been systematically declining from decade to decade. These statistics can be reversed. This is evidenced by the Active MultiSport Schools educational program, which mobilized over 9,000 students from Lower Silesia. The second edition of the program will start in spring 2022 in primary schools in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship.
Active MultiSport Schools is a program that has been run in 35 primary schools in Lower Silesia for the last year. The aim of the project is to inspire children, parents and teachers to introduce more physical activity into the everyday life of primary school students.
- In each school that participated in the project, we conducted workshops related to physical activity. The workshops were attended by teachers, parents, local authorities, and most of all children. The result of these meetings were ideas for the physical activation of children. Each school has developed at least one solution, such as an active way to school or lessons on pilates balls. Most of them were low-budget solutions, which, as it turned out, brought great results - says Jakub Kalinowski, president of the V4Sport Foundation, which is implementing the project.
The latest measurement of the physical fitness of Polish children
As part of the Active MultiSport Schools initiative, all children took part in the Eurofit fitness test twice, which is based on 9 simple physical exercises (including standing long jump, endurance run, balance test, hanging on a stick) . The measurement carried out at the beginning and at the end of the project allowed to assess the children's progress and the effectiveness of the program itself.
As a result of the Active MultiSport Schools project, children regained 43% of their physical fitness, which their peers lost over the decade in 1999-2009. As many as 86% of the schools participating in the program improved the level of physical fitness of their students.
The results of the fitness test from the MultiSport Active Schools program can be compared with the data collected for over 30 years by the Józef Piłsudski Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw.
- Thanks to these measurements, we know that the children examined in 1979 were on average 1.8% more efficient than their colleagues tested in1999 and nearly 4.5% more efficient than their peers in 2009. It may seem that these are relatively minor changes. However, if this downward trend continues, soon physical fitness will be up to 60 percent. children in Poland may be at a weak or very weak level in relation to the results of 1979 - the peak of the socio-economic crisis in Poland - emphasizes Dr. Janusz Dobosz from the National Center for Physical Condition Research, AWF Warsaw.
One example of a decline in physical fitness is an attempt to hang on a bar on bent arms. In 2018, boys at the age of 10.5 were able to hang on the bar on average for almost 8 seconds, which is nearly 4 seconds shorter than their peers in 2009, more than 7.5 seconds less than in 1999 and as much as 16.5 s shorter than their peers surveyed in 1979.
Children surveyed in 1979 were on average 1.8% more fit than their colleagues surveyed in 1999 and nearly 4.5% more efficient than their peers in 2009.
- Children participating in the Active MultiSport Schools project managed to significantly improve their results in this exercise within 152 days. At the beginning of the project, the boys (10.5 years old) stayed on the stick for almost 8 seconds, and after the program ended, they improved their results by over a second - adds Dr. Janusz Dobosz.
The greatest improvement in physical fitness is noticeable among students in grades VI-VIII who participated in the program. The oldest boys, aged 12.5 to 14.5, improved their fitness test scores twice as much as their younger classmates.
Movement is a he althy body and a sharp mind
Physical activity supports the psychophysical development of children. It stimulates the proper development of the skeletal and muscular systems. Develops motor coordination and cognitive functions.
- The right dose of physical activity improves the functioning of the brain, positively influencing concentration, memory and creativity of children. All these elements make it easier for the youngest to acquire knowledge, says Dr. Aneta Górska-Kot, a specialist pediatrician. Physical activity is also the simplest method of prevention.
According to the World He alth Organization, a sedentary lifestyle ranks fourth among the causes of human mortality in the world - behind high blood pressure, smoking and elevated blood glucose levels.
- Movement is a natural need of children for a reason. Physical activity not only stimulates the physical and mental development of children, but also builds their he alth for the future, reducing the risk of such lifestyle diseases as obesity, type II diabetes or hypertension.Research shows that currently every tenth second-grader has abnormal blood pressure values, and this indicator is related to the level of overweight and obesity - noted Dr. Aneta Górska-Kot.
As much as 31.2 percent eight-year-olds in Poland have excessive body weight, and 12.7 percent of them struggle with obesity. of them (COSI 2016 research). According to the World He alth Organization (WHO), a sedentary lifestyle ranks fourth among the causes of human mortality in the world - behind high blood pressure, smoking and elevated blood glucose levels.
Children freeze motionless
The latest HBSC research from 2022 shows that only 21 percent. girls and 24 percent. 11-year-old boys undertake one hour of planned physical activity each day, in accordance with the recommendations of the World He alth Organization.
- Physical activity with so many positive effects on the body should not be seen as a chore, but a real investment in he alth. Meanwhile, research conducted as part of the Active MultiSport Schools program shows that still up to 20 percent children do not take part in PE lessons. In this group, as much as 22 percent. is dismissed at the request of the parents - emphasizes Adam Radzki, Member of the Management Board of Benefit Systems, the company that was the originator and founder of the Active MultiSport Schools project.
Experts emphasize that parents play a key role in building an appropriate habit of exercise. Meanwhile, still only 44 percent. after school, children take up physical activity (walking, cycling) together with their parents. 48 percent children are transported to school by their parents.
Physical activity adjusted to children's preferences
- From the study of children's preferences conducted during the first edition of the ASM program, we learn, inter alia, that physical activity of the youngest is associated primarily with a free form of spending free time and good fun. Good fun is a motivator for practicing physical activity for 79% of respondents. children - emphasizes Jakub Kalinowski.
As expected by the children, the MultiSport Active School fitness test was based on a fairy-tale story. By taking the test, students enter the colorful Galaxy of Stillness. They face lazy monsters while exercising. Each exercise combines multimedia technology and interactive fun, dressed in colorful graphics.
- The attractive form of exercise and the lack of competition on an individual level made the children very eager to participate in an extraordinary, colorful fitness test. Additionally, during the test day, the children had the opportunity to freely show their ownskills in various sports disciplines in which they feel good - adds Jakub Kalinowski
The ASM study showed that competition rules the activity of the youngest children. 60 percent students from grades 1-3 take part in physical activities because they like to win. Among older children, self-esteem has a decisive influence on undertaking physical activity. 54 percent children from grades IV-VIII do not undertake specific activities due to poor self-assessment of their skills.
Active MultiSport SchoolsThis is a project whose task is to activate school children in movement and to ensure proper sports education. The ASM sports program consists of 9 fitness exercises recognized in the EuroFit fitness test, combined into a coherent, fictionalized, interactive game. So far, the project has been implemented in 35 schools in Lower Silesia, where the level of activity of over 9,000 children has been tested. The project is implemented by the V4Sport Foundation, its originator, and the founder is Benefit Systems. More information about the project can be found on the website www.aktywneszkoly.pl.