Effectiveness of stair climbing programme on BMI and self-esteem among obese college students

Pages: 810-812
Neethu P. S. (Department of Applied Psychology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry)

The present study investigated the effectiveness of six weeks stair climbing programme on selected physical and psychological variables of obese college students. Thirty obese female students aged 20-25 years were randomly assigned to control (n =15) and experimental (n = 15) groups. Experimental group climbed on staircases located within a four storey hostel building, consisting of 100 steps. The prescribed intensity was involved climbing 25 steps in one minute. BMI and self-esteem of both control and experimental group were measured before and after the training programme. The dependent t-test suggests that there is significant difference between control and experimental group in pre and post-test measures. The findings of the study provide evidence that stair climbing can enhance self-esteem reduce BMI of obese students. Given that such improvement resulted from this moderate exercise, stair climbing should be promoted as a health-enhancing physical activity.