National Institute for Health Development, 10617 Tallinn, Estonia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jun 12;21(6):761. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21060761.
The aim of this research is to find out to what extent the special qualifications of physical education teachers and the physical environment of kindergartens influence the physical development of preschoolers. Forty-four kindergartens across Estonia participated in the study, half of which had a physical education teacher (PEt), whereas the remaining 22 kindergartens were taught by non-qualified kindergarten teachers (NoPEt). Six Eurofit fitness tests were used to assess the physical development of children ( = 704; aged 6-7 years old, with an average age of 6.55 ± 0.5 years). An analysis of variance was used to compare the mean values of the fitness test results of the two groups. Linear regression analysis was applied to clarify the influence of individual and environmental factors on children's fitness scores. In kindergartens where the position of a PEt had been created, the results of children's physical fitness were statistically significantly better, more specifically in handgrip strength (m = 12.0, 95% CI = 11.8-12.3 vs. m = 11.5, 95% CI = 11.2-11.7) and in speed tests (m = 23.0, 95% CI = 22.8-23.2 vs. m = 23.6, 95% CI = 23.3-23.8). According to the teacher interviews, these kindergartens also had more rooms and areas specially created for physical exercises. The study revealed that the physical development of children is, when controlling for other individual and environmental factors, influenced by the professional qualification of the PE teacher (95% CI = 0.06-0.56) as well as children's participation in sports training (95% CI = 0.29-0.83). These findings are important for preschool institutions and municipalities in designing the optimal physical environment for facilitating children's physical fitness.
本研究旨在探讨体育教师的特殊资质和幼儿园的物质环境在多大程度上影响学龄前儿童的身体发育。爱沙尼亚有 44 家幼儿园参与了这项研究，其中一半的幼儿园有体育教师（PEt），而其余 22 家幼儿园则由非专业幼儿园教师（NoPEt）授课。使用 6 项 Eurofit 健身测试来评估儿童的身体发育情况（n = 704；年龄 6-7 岁，平均年龄为 6.55 ± 0.5 岁）。采用方差分析比较两组健身测试结果的平均值。应用线性回归分析阐明个体和环境因素对儿童健身得分的影响。在设立了体育教师职位的幼儿园中，儿童身体素质的测试结果具有统计学上的显著优势，具体表现在握力（m = 12.0，95%置信区间= 11.8-12.3 对 m = 11.5，95%置信区间= 11.2-11.7）和速度测试（m = 23.0，95%置信区间= 22.8-23.2 对 m = 23.6，95%置信区间= 23.3-23.8）方面。根据教师访谈，这些幼儿园也有更多专门用于体育锻炼的房间和区域。研究表明，在控制其他个体和环境因素的情况下，儿童的身体发育受到体育教师的专业资质（95%置信区间= 0.06-0.56）以及儿童参加体育训练的影响（95%置信区间= 0.29-0.83）。这些发现对于学前教育机构和市政府在设计促进儿童身体健康的最佳物质环境方面具有重要意义。
