Assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness of preschool children before and after intervention with structured physical activity

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.1593102307029

• Palavras-chave: Cardiorespiratory fitness, preschoolers, obesity.

• Keywords: Cardiorespiratory fitness, preschoolers, obesity.

• Abstract:

   The development of cardiorespiratory fitness in preschool children is important in preventing obesity and the onset of chronic degenerative diseases in childhood and throughout life. Current studies emphasize the importance of regular practice of physical activity to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, however few studies have sought to observe changes in cardiorespiratory condition before and after intervention with physical activity in preschool children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cardiorespiratory fitness of the participants after an intervention period with structured physical activity. Longitudinal observational study carried out at Centro Universitário de João Pessoa – Unipê, with children aged 4.3±1.2 years participating in an intervention with physical activity lasting 10 weeks, twice a week and 45 minutes/session. The children were evaluated for body composition (bioimpedance) and cardiorespiratory fitness test (ShuttleRun PREFECTIVE). The software used was SPSS 20.0. Data were compared inter-groups with Student's t tests and significance value of 0.05. There was no statistically significant difference in BMI, in Fat Mass (kg), in Vo_2máx and in the speed of the children evaluated in this period, however, there was an improvement in the performance of the children in the test, where the results showed significant differences in the total number of laps (p<0.019) and stage reached (p<0.033).