Objectives:1) To compare the effects of long stick exercise on physical fitness and health of female adolescents who practiced long stick exercise with those who did not practise long stick exercise. 2) To compare the effects of long stick exercise before and after practising long stick exercise on physical fitness and health of female adolescents who practised long stick exercise.
Material and Methods: Subjects were female students studying at Prince of Songkla University. Randomization was used to nassigned female adolescents to practising long stick exercise group (n = 70) or a control group (n = 70). Female adolescents in the experiment group practised long stick exercise for 12 weeks. Physical fitness forms and health questionnaires were used for data collection. Percent, mean, standard deviation, t-test and paired t-test were employed for data analysis.
Results: After intervention, the results showed that the female adolescents who practised long stick exercise in the experimental group had mean scores for overall physical fitness, grip strength, leg strength, flexibility, lung capacity and aerobic capacity significantly higher than those of female adolescents who did not practise long stick exercise (p < .001- p < .05). Body fat was not statistically significant. However, the mean scores for health were statistically significant (p < .001).
The mean scores of the overall physical fitness, body fat, leg strength, grip strength, flexibility, vital capacity and aerobic capacity of the female adolescents who practised long stick exercise were statistically significantly higher after the intervention than before the intervention (p < .001-p < .05). Also the mean scores for health were statistically significantly higher (p < .001).
Conclusions: The results of this study have shown that female adolescents who practiced long stick exercise had better physical fitness and health. Long stick exercise is helpful for adolescent health and should be promoted.