| Maintaining appropriate fitness levels and participating in regular physical activities are associated with many positive health benefits, including improved stamina, ability to complete daily physical tasks, and reduction of risk factors related to various diseases and disabilities (Rowland, 1999). These particular healthy lifestyle behaviors are important to deaf children, given the general consensus that this group has demonstrated lower physical fitness levels than their hearing peers (Goodman & Hopper, 1992). However, the reasons why deaf children, as a group, have performed lower on physical fitness tests have not been researched or identified.;The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence the physical fitness of deaf children. A group of 51 deaf children in grades first through fourth from regular and special schools participated in this study. Participants had a minimum hearing loss of 55 dB in the better ear and did not possess any multiple disabilities. A modified version of the Fitnessgram test was used to measure physical fitness. Parents/guardians and school personnel completed surveys related to the child's school placement, participation in physical activity, and physical education participation, as well as hearing loss/status information for both the parent and the child. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression procedures were used to identify relationships between independent and physical fitness variables, and to determine which factors most strongly predicted the physical fitness performance of deaf children.;The results indicated that participation in regular physical activities and parents' hearing status influenced the overall physical fitness of deaf children. Children who participated in at least three regular physical activities per week performed significantly better on all physical fitness measures with the exception of the trunk lift, than did children who participated in fewer activities per week. Parents' hearing status was determined to be an influential factor in that 80% of the children with two deaf parents participated in three or more regular activities per week, compared to 37% of those with at least one hearing parent.;The primary implication of this study is that parents of deaf children should be educated about their influence as role models for healthy lifestyle behaviors. Education should be targeted to those parents who are sedentary and those who may have apprehensions about the child's participation in physical activities, with the focus being on getting the deaf children involved in regular physical activity participation. |
