April 2026

VOlUME 05 ISSUE 04 April 2026
The Impact of Short-Term Physical Education Programs on the Fitness Components of First-Year Students at Thu Dau Mot University
Mai Van Hoang
Faculty of Cultural Industries, Thu Dau Mot University, Vietnam
DOI : https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i4n10

Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT

Improving physical fitness among first-year university students plays an important role in the context of increasingly sedentary lifestyles in higher education settings. A 6-week physical education program was implemented to develop components of Physical Fitness through structured physical activities conducted at a frequency of five sessions per week, with each session lasting 50 minutes. The study sample consisted of 110 students, who were assessed before and after the intervention using tests of speed, muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, and flexibility. The results indicated significant improvements in all physical fitness indicators following the program (p < 0.05), with notable gains in muscular strength and cardiorespiratory endurance. In addition, the proportion of students achieving high academic performance in physical education increased, reflecting the overall effectiveness of the program. These findings suggest that short-term physical education interventions can serve as a practical approach to enhancing physical fitness and improving educational outcomes in university settings.

KEYWORDS:

physical education; physical fitness; first-year students; short-term intervention; exercise program

REFERENCES

1) American College of Sports Medicine. (2018). ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription (10th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

2) Caspersen, C. J., Powell, K. E., & Christenson, G. M. (1985). Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: Definitions and distinctions. Public Health Reports, 100(2), 126–131.

3) Guthold, R., Stevens, G. A., Riley, L. M., & Bull, F. C. (2018). Worldwide trends in insufficient physical activity from 2001 to 2016. The Lancet Global Health, 6(10), e1077–e1086.

4) Kenney, W. L., Wilmore, J. H., & Costill, D. L. (2015). Physiology of sport and exercise (6th ed.). Human Kinetics.

5) McArdle, W. D., Katch, F. I., & Katch, V. L. (2015). Exercise physiology: Nutrition, energy, and human performance (8th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

6) Pham, H. Q., (2023). Educational research in a new context and the role of education. Journal of Education. [Nghiên cứu giáo dục trong bối cảnh mới và vai trò của giáo dục]. Vietnam Journal of Education . https://tapchigiaoduc.edu.vn/article/87990/225/nghien-cuu-giao-duc-trong-boi-canh-moi-va-vai-tro-cua-tap-chi-giao-duc


Cite this Article:Hoang, M. V. (2026). The Impact of Short-Term Physical Education Programs on the Fitness Components of First-Year Students at Thu Dau Mot University. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE HUMANITY & MANAGEMENT RESEARCHS, 5(4), 664-669. https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i4n10

VOlUME 05 ISSUE 04 April 2026

Indexed In