| Scope and Method of Study. The purpose of this study was to measure and compare height, weight, weight residual, skinfold thicknesses, % of body fat, 11 body circumferences, strength, flexibility, reaction time, and the resting electrocardiogram of 80 Oklahoma State University male students between 20-30 years of age from Middle East, East and Southeast Asian countries who were selected by stratified random sampling. The results were compared with the United States population norms. A comparison was also made among the foreign students who had been in the United States less than one year and more than three years. Multiple t-tests were used to determine if any differences existed between the groups in the selected physical fitness variables at the .05 confidence level.; Findings and Conclusions. The results of this study showed that the United States had a significantly higher mean value of height than the Middle East and also had significantly higher mean values of height and weight than the East and Southeast Asia. The Middle East had a significantly higher mean value of the sum of six sites of skinfold thicknesses than the East and Southeast Asia. The Middle East had a significantly higher mean value of the body circumferences of shoulder, chest, buttock, thigh, forearm, and ankle than those of East and Southeast Asia. The Middle East had significantly higher mean values of the circumferences of shoulder, bicep, wrist, and ankle than the United States. The East and Southeast Asia had a significantly higher mean value of shoulder circumference than the United States. The United States had significantly higher mean values of the circumferences of shoulder, chest, abdomen, buttock, forearm, thigh, knee, and calf than the East and Southeast Asia. The United States had a significantly higher mean values of left and right grip strength than the Middle East and East and Southeast Asia. The United States had a significantly higher mean value of rest/work ratio than the Middle East and East and Southeast Asia also had a significantly higher mean value of T wave than the Middle East. No significant differences were found in the means of the above fitness variables between the new and old foreign students. |
