School children who took online Physical Education classes during Covid demonstrated better fitness versus those who did not: Reveals Sportz Village survey

Sportz Village, through its award-winning EduSports in-school Physical Education & Sports  program has been working to improve sports education in India since 2009 and has been assessing  children’s health on a national level for the past 12 years. Schools play an important role in promoting  physical activity among students. The spread of COVID-19 led to the closure of schools across the  world. Students stayed at home, without walking to and from school, without going in and out of the  classroom without Physical Education, without recess and without any sports activity. Sportz Village  recently conducted a survey in Chennai to gauge the difference between children who took part in  online physical education classes and children who didn’t take part. The survey revealed that the  hildren who did not take part in any online physical education classes displayed alarmingly poor fitness
levels.

Sportz Village compared the difference in the performance of children who took part in online classes during Covid and those who did not. The survey uncovered the children who took part in online PE classes were 16 % healthier compared to children who did not take part in the online classes. The children were assessed on different physical fitness parameters such as – Upper Body Strength, Lower Body Strength, Core Strength, Flexibility, Aerobic Capacity &  Anaerobic Capacity. This clearly shows that even a ‘reduced’ form of structured physical activity (in this case – online PE classes) has a  major impact when children have no access to playgrounds. In Chennai, children who took part in the  online classes performed better in all physical fitness parameters except Lower Body Strength, and in  Delhi, children fared better in all physical fitness parameters except Upper Body Strength &  Flexibility.

Speaking on the survey Saumil Majmudar, CEO & Managing Director, Sportz Village, said “Physical activity is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle for children and schools can play an influential role in helping students engage in physical exercise. School children who took online physical education classes during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated better fitness levels compared to those who did  not participate in such classes. Covid or No Covid, physical activity and play are imperative for a child’s holistic development and at Sportz Village we aim to revolutionize the way fitness and sports can be implemented in a child’s routine.”