PURPOSE This study assessed Taekwondo’s impact on functional fitness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older women from South Korean multicultural families. METHODS Through purposive sampling, 16 participants were divided into an experimental group that underwent a 12-week Taekwondo training program and a control group without this intervention. RESULTS Pre- and post-intervention assessments showed that the Taekwondo group experienced significant improvements in both functional fitness and HRQoL. These findings suggest that Taekwondo could be an effective physical activity for enhancing the well-being of older women in multicultural families, advocating for inclusion of culturally sensitive physical activities in health promotion programs targeting this demographic. CONCLUSIONS This study contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting physical activity’s benefits for elderly populations, particularly in multicultural family dynamics.
This study examined the association between physical activity (PA) and the prevalence of chronic disease and chronic depression. Additionally, the relationships between PA and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among general population, categorized by healthy, chronic disease and depression were investigated. Cross-sectional data includes 9,739 participants (4,351 males, 5,659 females, over 19 years old) who completed physical activity, chronic disease and HRQoL questionnaires from The Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Complex samples frequency, descriptive, cross-tab and logistic analysis were used. Estimated prevalence of chronic disease and depression were significantly different between PA levels and frequency. Based on odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), participating in lower levels of daily PA including less resistance and flexibility exercise were associated with an increased likelihood of chronic disease. Less frequency of resistance PA was also associated with an increased likelihood of depression. Estimated prevalence of HRQoL was different according to PA in the healthy and chronic disease populations. Adjusted OR and confidence intervals represented through lower levels of daily PA and less frequency of resistance PA were associated with an increased likelihood of poor HRQoL in the chronic disease population. No significant OR between PA and HRQoL in the depression population was observed.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise intensity on body composition, health related fitness, and quality of life in elderly women. Methods 48 elderly women over 65 years of age without physical and mental problems were assigned to four groups: control group, low intensity, moderate intensity, and high intensity aerobic training group. The aerobic exercise group applied a heart rate reserve (HRR) to low-intensity group (HRR 40-55%), moderate intensity group (HRR 55-70%), high intensity group (HRR> 70%) for 12 weeks, 3 times a week for 20 minutes a day. Subjects of the control group were to maintain their usual lifestyles during the same intervention period. Body composition, health related fitness, and quality of life were measured and analyzed using repeated two-way ANOVA. Results The main results obtained in this study are as follows. 1) There was a significant decrease in sitting forward bending in the low intensity group and a significant increase in EQ-VAS. 2) There was a significant decrease in body weight, BMI, and 6 minutes walking in the moderate intensity group, and a significant increase in grip strength and EQ-VAS. 3) The high intensity group showed a significant decrease in weight, BMI, waist circumference, sitting forward bending, and 6 minutes walking, and a significant increase in grip strength, sit and stand, functional reach, and VO2max. On the other hand, there was no significant change in all variables in the control group. Conclusions In conclusion, aerobic training was found to be effective for body composition, health related fitness and quality of life in elderly women. In particular, it can be concluded that high intensity aerobic training is effective for health related fitness, and low and moderate intensity aerobic exercise is effective for improving quality of life.
The frailty, characterized by reduced physiological function is closely related to a fall, disability, institutionalization, hospitalization, and mortality in the elderly. A reduced physical fitness is a major phenotype of the frailty. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among pre-frailty, physical activity (PA) and functional fitness in the community dwelling elderly women. The study participants were elderly women (n=338, 70.6±4.2years) aged over 65 who took part in the Korean Healthy Fitness Criteria study for the National Fitness Award Project in 2015. The pre-frailty was defined using the Cardiovascular Health Study frailty criteria. PA was assessed using the International PA Questionnaire (IPAQ). The participants were classified as regular PA participants if they meet the World Health Organization (WHO) PA recommendation for the elderly. Functional fitness was assessed using the composite of the National Fitness Award fitness testing for the elderly. Quality of life was evaluated using EuroQoL visual analogue scale and WHO quality of life assessment. As the results, the pre-frail elderly women were significantly older and obese (body mass index, percent body fat, waist circumference) than the healthy elderly. The pre-frail elderly presented significant decreases in walking, moderate intensity, and total PA compared to the healthy elderly even after adjusted for age and percent body fat. However, no significant difference was found in vigorous-intensity activity between the pre-frail and healthy elderly. Also, the pre-frail elderly women showed the decrease in functional fitness and quality of life compared to the healthy elderly. Regular PA was associated with high levels of muscular endurance and coordination in healthy and pre-frail elderly. In pre-frail elderly, high levels of cardiorespiratory endurance was associated with PA. In conclusion, regular PA is inversely associated with fitness decline in healthy and pre-frail community-dwelling elderly women. Regular PA might attenuate fitness decline in pre-frail elderly women.
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of obesity index, fitness and cardiovascular risk index in middle and high school students. Obesity index, fitness score and cardiovascular risk index were measured from 1,044 middle and high school students. The results of relation between obesity index and fitness showed that the higher obesity index had significantly lower fitness score for both boys and girls (boys: p<0.001, girl: p<0.05) The results of relation between obesity index and cardiovascular risk index indicated that the higher obesity index had significantly higher cardiovascular risk index for both boys and girls (boys: p<0.001, girl: p<0.001). Moreover, The lower fitness index showed significantly higher cardiovascular risk index regardless of gender in middle school students (boys: p<0.001, girl: p<0.01). Therefore, the results of this study indicated that obese adolescents had the lower fitness level and high possibility of cardiovascular risk.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of National Fitness Award program group exercise classes on daily fitness and balance-confidence among the elderly participants(n=496, 80.2% women). This study investigated body composition, daily fitness, and balance-confidence, and quality of life among the subjects who participated in the combined exercise program of improving physical fitness class for 8-week in the 10 national physical fitness certification centers by the demonstration project for the elderly of 2013 Korean National Fitness 100 project. Body composition and physical fitness for daily living were defined by Korean National Fitness 100 project for elderly, also the balance-confidence and health-related questionnaires were added. The following results were obtained by comparing the pre-test and post-test. In body composition body weight (p<.05), body mass index (p<.05), fat mass (p<.01), and percent body fat (p<.05) were significantly decreased, but muscle mass was not. Except for walking-around-two-cones-in-a-figure 8, all other daily fitness items such as relative grip strength (p<.001), chair sit to stand, two minutes place to walk, and sit-and-reach significantly increased (p<.01), and timed up and go were significantly decreased (p<.01). In balance confidence rating ABC tests (p<.001) were shown significantly increased. Although, quality of life measured by EQ-5D was not significantly improved, self-health status measured by EQ-VAS (p<.001) showed significant increase. Therefore, the group exercises of National Fitness Award program improved body composition, daily fitness and balance confidence in Korean elderly participants.
PURPOSE This study aimed to identify and establish ESG activity assessment factors tailored for sports brands, offering a foundational framework for fostering sustainability within the sports industry. METHODS A Delphi survey was conducted between December 1, 2022, and January 31, 2023, involving university professors, sports brand executives, ESG researchers, sports marketing majors , a nd sports brand influencers. Data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 24.0 and MS Excel, encompassing research subject classification, consistency verification, and empirical analysis. RESULTS The assessment of ESG activity evaluation factors of sports brands revealed that governance, social, and environmental dimensions ranked in descending order of relative importance. Among specific evaluation criteria, the adoption of employee ethics regulations was deemed paramount in the governance evaluation area, while support for stakeholder welfare and social well-being took precedence in the social evaluation category. In the environmental sector, the production and delivery of eco-friendly, durable products held the highest significance. Further analysis, considering the weighted priorities of all evaluation factors, emphasized the importance of factors, such as the adoption of employee ethics regulations, support for stakeholder welfare, social well-being, and the production and delivery of eco-friendly, durable products. Conversely, disclosure of company information and issues, support for the underprivileged, and general shareholders' meeting or agenda for the protection of shareholders' rights and interests ranked lower. CONCLUSIONS In summary, this study validates the role of governance (G) aspects within ESG activities for sports brands, alongside environmental and social dimensions. It highlights the importance of a balanced ESG framework, particularly in an era marked by heightened social responsibility awareness among consumers. Prioritizing governance in marketing strategies not only distinguishes sports brands but also necessitates impactful promotion and advertising efforts.
This article aims to examine the research trend of sport history by analysing published research articles over the last decade in the Korean Journal of History for Physical Education, and suggest directions of research in sport history based on the results. We have reviewed a total of 264 articles relying on the analytic framework including the criteria of time period, method, nation, theme/topic, and purpose. The research findings are as follows. First, the post-Liberation period has been studied most often with 45.3%, followed by the Japanese Colonization period (20.2%), the Joseon Dynasty period (11.4%), the diachronic research (8.8%), the period from ancient times through Goryeo (8.1%), and the period of Enlightenment (6.2%). The results indicate that most recent studies in the journal unilaterally focus on the Modern and Contemporary history with 71.7%. According to the analysis result by research method, second, more than 90% of the studies have been conducted using qualitative methods while only 0.6% of the papers have adopted quantitative methods. The qualitative methods include textual analysis, participant observation, oral life story, and focus group interview. Textual analysis has been used most often with 74.5%. Oral life story has been second (22.5%), followed by participant observation (2.1%) and focus group interview (0.3%). The findings from this category show that it is still necessary to diversify research methods and vitalize interdisciplinary research. Third, in terms of nation, over 70% of the papers have studied about Korea, and European countries are the second most frequent region in the research trend (8.3%). The nation that follows is China with 6.4%. Although we analysed a Korean journal in sport history, the result exposes the lack of scholarly attention in the studies of sport history to world sport history reflecting comparative perspectives. By the criteria of theme/topic, fourth, genre has been studied most often with 31.7%, followed by figure (14.1%), facility/institution/organization (14.0%), system/policy/event (12.8%), philosophy/ideology/theory (6.7%), remains/relics/documentary material (6.3%), and domestic regions (5.4%). The results show that the recently published research articles have attempted to include a variety of genres in sports, play, and dance. While the topics for figure and facility/institution/organization also receive significant interest, it is limited that the studies mostly focus on male sport figures but female figures are barely explored. Even when female figures are researched, the attempts are observed only in the studies of dance. Fifth, the largest ratio of papers has had the research purpose of historical evolution (37.6%), followed by value/significance (20%), type/characteristic (15.5%), thoughts/ideology/theory (9.1%), origin (6.6%), suggestion/proposal/prediction (5%), comparison/correlation (5%), and concept/terminology (1.2%). The results expose that the studies tend to concentrate on historical evolution relying on chronological description while the research on concept/terminology is of little scholarly interest. Based on what we have found, it is identified that the recent studies in sport history have mostly focused on the historical evolution of a specific sport genre in the Korean Modern and Contemporary history using textual analysis. Consequently, the results suggest that researchers in sport studies need to put in additional effort to expand research topics and methods, and invite comparative perspectives involving inter/cross-national studies.
