Scheduled for Research Consortium Psychology and Sociocultural Poster Session, Friday, April 15, 2005, 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area I


A Comparison of Selected Measures of Physical Fitness in Participants From Various Ethnic and National Backgrounds Before and After a Program of Health and Fitness Promotion (Sociocultural)

Donna Chun, Brigham Young Univ-Hawaii, Laie, HI, Norman C. Eburne, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, Laie, HI and Joseph Donnelly, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, NJ

The Purpose of the study was to compare the physical fitness of Pacific Island (20%), Hawaiian (13%), American Caucasian (42%), European Caucasian (3%), and Asian (22%) subjects. A secondary purpose was to determine fitness norms for the ethnic groups included in this study. The subjects included 210 male and 317 female students enrolled in a Fitness for Life Course. The investigators sought to compare the ethnic groups on the 1.5 mile run, skinfold, sit and reach, sit-ups, back extensions, bench press and leg press. Frequency tables, descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and Tukey’s Post Hoc Test were conducted. For the male students the results of the data showed a significant difference between the pre and post tests for all fitness variables except for the skinfold. Analysis of the data for the women students resulted in significant differences between the pre and post tests for all fitness variables. Comparison by ethnic groups revealed that the American Caucasian male students were overall faster than the Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Hawaiians. The European Caucasians were significantly faster than the Hawaiians. The Pacific Islanders performed better than the Asians on the bench press. In addition the American Caucasians were significantly more lean than the Pacific Islanders and Hawaiians, and also performed significantly more sit-ups than the Asians. For the female students when compared by ethnic groups, it was found that the American Caucasians performed better than the Pacific Islanders on the 1.5 mile run, skinfold, sit-ups and back extensions. The American Caucasians also performed better than the Hawaiians on the 1.5 mile run and skinfold, and better than the Asians on the sit-ups and bench press. The Asian female students performed better than the Pacific Islanders and Hawaiians on the skinfold, and were faster than the Pacific Islanders on the 1.5 mile run. Both the Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders were significantly stronger than the Asians on the bench press. These results suggest that American Caucasian students were faster and more lean than the Pacific Islanders and Hawaiians, and that the Pacific Islanders were stronger than the Asians. Whether these differences were the result of genetics or socio-cultural factors is unclear. The problem this poses in designing effective evaluative, instructional and motivational strategies may be remedied by the use of ethnicity-specific norms. The data in this study was used to establish norms by decile for each ethnic group on each fitness test.
Keyword(s): multiculturalism/cultural diversity

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