Physical Fitness Status of Tertiary Students under the New Physical Activity towards Health and Fitness (PATHFit) Course: A Quasi-Experimental Study

• Main Authors: Dimarucot, Heildenberg C., Aguinaldo, Jerrwin C., Minas, Geraldine C., Cobar, Alvin George C.
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2024
• Subjects: physical fitness; physical activity; physical education; fitness exercise; cardiorespiratory endurance; muscular fitness; Education; Health and Physical Education; Medicine and Health Sciences; Sports Sciences
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/shs-faculty-pub/4; https://doi.org/10.26773/smj.240209
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

According to the latest findings of the World Health Organization (2022), most young people nowadays are deficient in fulfilling the global standard for moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activities. Concurrently, the issue of girls being less active than boys in most countries, including the Philippines, remains. To address this health issue, the Philippines’ Commission on Higher Education (CHED) implemented the new Physical Activity Towards Health and Fitness (PATHFit) Courses. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate existing program models that focused on developing students’ cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness. An exercise model underwent a quasi-experimental analysis using three fitness tests: Prone Bridge Test (PBT), 3-minute Step Test (STEP), and Wall Squat (WS). Results revealed that participants showed significant improvement after the 12-week fitness program, with p