Impact of Hand Grip and Sit-And-Reach Exercises in Children Aged 6-7 Years

Abstract

It has been suggested that grip strength can predict physical fitness in children and adults. The overall plan of this study will validate this conclusion. The study analysed the correlation between hand grip strength and sit-and-reach in 70 children aged 6-7 years with the aim of gaining insight into the correlation between grip strength and sit-and-reach. Descriptive statistics were used in the study to find out the mean scores and differences in these exercises. The correlation between hand grip strength and sit-and-reach flexibility was also explored using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The results showed the correlation coefficient between hand grip strength (mean±sd=5.46±3.75) and sit-and-reach flexibility (mean±sd=8.25±5.28) was 0.078, indicating a weak positive correlation (p 0.05). The results of the study suggest that grip strength is not a valid predictor of physical dexterity in seated forward bends in 6-7 years old children age group. As suggested in the previous studies, grip strength can predict physical fitness in children, such as a strong correlation between grip strength and physical flexibility, lung function, muscular endurance, and physical stability. However, from the results, grip strength is not a reliable predictor of physical flexibility. We need to further validate the predictive role of grip strength for other physical fitness indicators. This is a very important validation for us to develop children's physical fitness assessment programs more efficiently in the future.

Keywords

• hand grip
• flexibility
• sit-and-reach
• physical fitness.