Improving the quality of life through participation in physical activity- the tennis camp pilot study

Abstract

Aim. Scientific data show an increase in infantile overweight and obesity cases, which results in illness and social problems, thus a lower quality of life. The main causes for this situation are the lack of physical activity, the nutritional behavior and emotional stress. Our attention focused on observing the group’s social behavior at the end of the implementation of a program which integrated physical activity, a healthy nutritional behavior and social activities.Methods. The case study started by abstracting information from scientific publications for a better understanding of the phenomena. The research used the survey method for analyzing the groups’ (n=14) social dynamics throughout the implementation of a physical activity program for children aged 8 to 12.Results. By comparing the initial and final results of the survey, an improvement of the social relations inside the subjects’ group can be observed.Conclusion. The main knowledge gained from this experiment is the confirmation that through the implementation of strategies that include physical activities, a strict nutritional behavior and social activities, we can improve a group’s cohesion and thus contribute to the increase of the quality of life for children aged 8 to 12 years old, although the evaluation of other aspects like the evolution of physical and mental fitness throughout such a program is needed.