Gender Disparities in the Impact of Moderate-Intensity Interval Training and Continuous Training on Fitness Levels and Body Mass Index in Bayelsa State

Abstract

The study investigated gender disparities in the impact of moderate-intensity interval and continuous training on Fitness Level and Body Mass Index (BMI) of Sports Club Members in tertiary institutions in Bayelsa State. The study was guided by two objectives, two research questions, and two hypotheses. A randomized pretest-posttest control group design was employed, with pretests administered to both control and experimental groups to measure BMI. The experimental groups underwent 12 weeks of moderate intensity interval and continuous training, followed by a posttest for all groups. The population of the study comprised all 987 registered sports club members in Niger Delta University. One hundred and twenty Sports Club Members in tertiary institutions in Bayelsa State (59 males and 61 females) were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups using the fish bowl method. Data collection instruments included a Stadiometer (SECA 217) and an Omron Karda Scan Body Composition Monitor (HBF-511), both of which were standardized. Reliability coefficients for BMI was r = .69 for males and r = .80 for females, respectively. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Version 26, with descriptive statistics (Mean, Standard Deviation) used to answer research questions and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to test hypotheses at a 0.05 alpha level. Findings revealed that there is no significant difference in the effect of moderate intensity interval and continuous training on the Body Mass Index (BMI) of male and female Sports Club Members in tertiary institutions in Bayelsa State. The authors recommended that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) should provide funding for sports clubs in tertiary institutions to enhance access to fitness programs that include moderate intensity interval and continuous training.