抄録
The purpose of this study was to clarify the actual situation of exercise awareness among elementary school students whose physical activity has been restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related infection control measures. The respondents were 2,341 students (1,154 boys and 1,187 girls) from grades 1 to 6 attending public elementary schools (21 in all). The data were collected using a three-item questionnaire: sense of being good and bad at exercise, sense of inactivity, and motivation to exercise. A cross-tabulation table and chi-square test were used to examine the relationship between grade and exercise awareness, as well as that between the sense of being good and bad at exercise and the sense of inactivity and motivation to exercise. The analysis showed a significant relationship between the grade and the three items. Regarding the sense of inactivity, the proportion of respondents feeling it increased with school year, with the sixth graders feeling it the most. In all grades, more than 80% of respondents felt motivated to exercise; this suggests that many children want to exercise more than they do now, but the ongoing pandemic has restricted their physical activity. It is important to create exercise opportunities for children even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
