Thriving Taiwanese Health and Fitness

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A recent study conducted at Asia University in Taiwan showed that there is a strong correlation between the leisure activities that college students tend to engage in and their overall health. “Leisure, Lifestyle, and Health-Related Physical Fitness” is a scholarly article and study that examines the various scientific and social factors that determine the overall health of college students. Various methods of research as well as statistical analysis were used to put a numerical value for numerous physical fitness tests. This study is quite informative due to the fact that we as college students in the United States can compare the results of Taiwanese students to ourselves and sees the vast similarities. Physical fitness has a crucial impact towards college students everywhere due to our need to maintain not only a social image but a physical one as well. The Cheng et al. study proved that Taiwanese college students who engage in consistent physical exercise tend to have superior physical fitness than those who are inactive.

The National Council of Physical Fitness and Sports in Taiwan states that four different measures are used to accurately measure physical fitness: body fat composition, muscular strength and stamina, flexibility, and heart and lung stamina. They noted that excessive body fat tends to cause coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Muscle strength and stamina refers to the number of repetitions in muscle contractions that one’s body can sustain during physical exercise. Flexibility refers to the reach of joints and the extension ability for one’s muscles, and ligaments. Finally, heart and lung stamina refers to the ability of one’s body to inhale and exhale to retain necessary amounts of oxygen during exercise. Body mass index was tested for each one of the participants in the study for comparison.

The study conducted by Cheng et al. was very extensive and required much data analysis. Students at Asia University in Taiwan were asked to answer various survey questions regarding leisure activities, physical fitness, and trends in their overall lifestyle. From the results of the surveys, Cheng et al. categorized this sample of college students into four groups based on their leisure activities. The groups were dawn activity lovers, sports lovers, inactive healthy dieters, and vacation lovers. After these individuals were grouped, they were asked to perform various physical fitness tests such as sit-ups for 60 seconds for muscular strength and stamina, and the distance individuals could stretch for flexibility. Once these tests were completed, Cheng et. al used various data analysis techniques to make conclusions about how leisure activity and physical fitness are correlated.

The results of this study showed that participants who were categorized in the group “sports lovers” tended to show signs of higher levels of physical fitness and overall higher body mass indexes. They tended to be heavier and were able to retain muscle contractions with less fatigue and soreness. We can infer that individuals in the “sports lovers” category tended to weigh more due to strenuous muscular exercise. Since the body mass index does not take weight from muscle mass in to account, their BMI would not be as reliable as physical fitness tests. In addition, Cheng et. al concluded that female students scored worse in physical fitness tests than males. We could infer that many female participants were categorized under inactive healthy dieters and vacation lovers. Cheng et al. noted that overall, the Taiwanese students in the study were of ideal weight, meaning that most of them tended to have fairly normal body mass indexes. Additionally, students under the category “dawn activity lovers” had higher rates of heart and lung stamina than vacation lovers and inactive healthy dieters. This obviously means that students who enjoyed exercising in the morning tended to do cardiovascular activities such as jogging or walking rather than physically strenuous sports.

Hence we see that the study conducted by Cheng et. al proved that there is a correlation between leisure activities and levels of physical fitness. Those students who maintain consistent physical exercise are more likely to be more physically fit in the long run. We can easily correlate this study to college students in the United States and would expect similar results. It is interesting to see a different perspective of health and fitness in terms of college students across the world and how their leisure activities correlate to their overall physical health. After these results are presented to us, we can make general assumptions to why certain leisure groups were more physically fit than others. Those who were sports lovers tended to be the best rounded in terms of healthy. They were able to complete physical tests without soreness or muscle fatigue. Cheng et al.’s study was very informative in terms of the physical and social part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Works Cited

Cheng, Jen-Son. "Leisiure, Lifestyle, and Health-Related Physical Fitness for College Students." Social Behavior and Personality. 39.3 (2011): 321-332. Print.