Changes in Body Build and Physical Fitness of PE Students in the Years 1989-2004-2014-2024

Wilczewski Adam (), Chaliburda Ireneusz and Kuśmierczyk Piotr
Additional contact information
Wilczewski Adam: Department of Health Promotion, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Physical Education and Health
Chaliburda Ireneusz: Department of Physical Education Methodology
Kuśmierczyk Piotr: Department of Gymnastic, Poland

Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, 2025, vol. 32, issue 1, 26-30

Abstract: Introduction. In the current situation of demographic decline and, at the same time, strong competition in the educational market, issues are increasingly raised not only about the level of teaching but also about the competencies and predispositions of the students themselves. Therefore, this report aimed to analyze the differences in physical education students’ body build and physical fitness in the years 1989-2004-2014-2024. Material and methods. The material for the study included anthropometric measurements and physical fitness tests of second-year students of the Faculty of Physical Education and Health in Biała Podlaska examined in the years: 1989 (n = 111), 2004 (n = 181), 2014 (n = 127) and 2024 (n = 84). The Martin and Saller technique was used to measure anthropometric features necessary to calculate body type using the Heath-Carter method. Physical fitness was measured using the International Physical Fitness Test. Differences in the size of the analyzed features between the selected groups were estimated using ANOVA and the Newman-Keuls test. Results. Until 2004, our research revealed an increase in men’s basic somatic features and endomorphy and a decrease in mesomorphy and physical fitness levels. The ectomorphy of subjects from 2024 is at the level of the results from 1989. The pace of the described changes is different in the analyzed research periods. Students assessed in the last study, compared to those observed a decade earlier, had greater endomorphy levels and lower mesomorphy and ectomorphy levels. From 1989 to 2014, a gradual decrease in physical fitness was observed in the assessed students. However, in the last decade the level of physical fitness increased. Conclusions. The observed secular trends in body build and physical fitness can be interpreted as the effects of environmental differences in the standard of living of the surveyed students, rather than the recruitment procedure itself and, consequently, the educational profile.

Keywords: students; physical education; body type; physical fitness level (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.2478/pjst-2025-0005 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:spotou:v:32:y:2025:i:1:p:26-30:n:1005

DOI: 10.2478/pjst-2025-0005

Access Statistics for this article

Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism is currently edited by Ryszard Cieśliński

More articles in Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism from Sciendo
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Peter Golla ().