The effect of school education on students' participation in sports and physical activity and profiles of individuals with physical activity and fitness habits in Turkey

Rüstem Orhan

African Educational Research Journal
Published: October 29 2020
Volume 8, Special Issue 2
Pages S287-S297
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30918/AERJ.8S2.20.058

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the physical inactivity problem from an educational perspective by investigating the profiles of individuals engaging in physical activities and fitness exercises in recreational areas, gyms, green areas, and walking tracks in Ankara, Bursa, Kırıkkale and Nazilli city centers in Turkey. The other objectives of the study were to reveal the type of exercising habits of the Turkish people and to emphasize the effect of physical education on the acquisition of physical activity habits. The research employed a questionnaire form developed by Arabacı and Korkmaz (2010), updated by the researcher just before this study. A total of 1000 people, 250 from Ankara, 290 from Bursa, 258 from Kırıkkale, and 202 from Nazilli, participated in the study. The study revealed that men (54.4%) participated in more physical activities than women (45.6%). The results also indicated that the higher the education levels are, the higher the participation rates in physical activities are, which means that physical education at school helps students gain regular physical activity habits The study also showed that most people were engaged in sports for health reasons (73.1%). It was found that the rate of people with regular weekly exercise schedules was low (4.4%), while a large proportion of the participants (56.3%) preferred walking. The average age of individuals with exercising habits was found to be 30.

Keywords: Physical education, COVID-19, physical activity, lifelong sports, recreation.

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