Effect of Awris Traditional Dances on Health-Related Physical Fitness Traits among High School Students in Ethiopia

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Awris traditional dance Tigray regional state on health related physical fitness traits among high school students. To achieve the purpose of this study, 40 high school students were selected randomly. And their age ranged between 15 and 17 years. The selected participants were categorized into experimental and control group with twenty (n=20) subjects in each. The experimental group performed traditional dances for a period of 16 weeks three days per week whereas participants in the control group were informed to follow their usual daily activity. All participants were tested on selected criterion measures on muscular strength, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance and body composition prior to and after the 16 weeks of the training period. The data pertaining to the variables in this study were statistically examined by using SPSS statistical software version 25. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were found in order to get the basic idea of the data distribution. Independent t- test was employed for finding whether there was any statistically significant pre-test to post-test mean differences in their respective variables of each group. Level of significant was set at 0.05. Following the 16-weeks traditional dance training, significant change was observed on muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance, but there was no significant improvement in flexibility and body composition as compare the experimental groups with the control group. Therefore it can be concluded that Awris traditional dance training program can notably improve muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance of high school students

Effects of Altitude training on Ethiopian endurance athletes recovery heart rate and hematological variables

Background and Study Aim. A recent study indicates that Ethiopian middle- and long-distance athletes originate from diverse geographical regions, including areas of varying elevation. This study aimed to analyze the impact of altitude training on hematological parameters and recovery heart rates among young male endurance trainees training at sites located at different altitude levels. Material and Methods. The study employed a quasi-experimental, counterbalanced approach involving 15 male trainees. Five individuals from each training center experienced the standard training program across three distinct geographical locations and elevations. Pre- and post-test data were collected on red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet count, and recovery heart rate before and after six months, from 6:00–8:00 AM. ANCOVA was utilized to analyze the data. Results. Following the intervention, the mean Red Blood Cell (RBC) count was observed to be higher in trainees from low altitude (5.18±0.33) compared to those from moderate altitude (4.48±0.14 and 5.21±0.22), with a significance level of p0.05). Similarly, the mean Hematocrit (HCT) count was low for both low altitude (46.04±3.49) and moderate altitude trainees (46.46±3.9 and 45.42±1.54), with no significant difference noted (p>0.05). The mean Platelet (PLT) count was 226.8±75.88 for low altitude trainees and 265.8±23.18, 276±53.96 for moderate altitude trainees, with no significant difference between the groups (p>0.05). As for the recovery heart rate, mean values showed no significant difference between the pre-and post-test groups. In the pretest, the mean recovery heart rate was 30.00±14.70 for low-altitude trainees and 43.20±8.90, 43.20±13.68 for moderate-altitude trainees (p>0.05). In the post-test, the mean recovery heart rate was 25.20±7.82 for low-altitude trainees and 32.40±10.04, 36.00±7.35 for moderate-altitude trainees (p>0.05). Conclusions. The findings indicate that training at different altitudes impacts the hematological and cardiovascular systems of endurance athletes in varied ways. This underscores the importance of developing tailored training programs to optimize performance and recovery. These results are particularly relevant for coaches and athletes seeking to enhance endurance training outcomes through altitude training strategies

Effect of traditional dances on selected psychological variables among high school students in Ethiopia

The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate the effect of practicing Tigray Regional State Traditional Dances on selected psychological variables, i.e. anxiety and self-esteem, in a sample of one 100 adolescent boys and girls (age 15 – 17 years) who volunteered. The subjects were divided into two groups i.e., the experimental group (n=80) and the control group (n=20). Furthermore, the experimental group was divided into four subgroups (n= 4X20). Each experimental subgroup was practicing for 16 weeks one of the four Traditional Dances of Awris, Hura, Kuda and Shediva. On the contrary, the participants in the control group were counseled to follow their usual daily routine activity. Additionally, all participants were tested on selected criterion measures on anxiety and self-esteem prior to and after the investigation period which lasted for 16-weeks. All data were statistically examined using ANOVA for each one of the studied variables separately. Whenever ‘F’ ratio of adjusted post-test was found to be significant the Scheffe’s test was used to determine the paired mean differences. The level of significance was set at p<0.05. Following the 16-weeks traditional dance practicing, significant positive changes were observed on anxiety and self-esteem variables in the four experimental groups compared with the control group. It can be, therefore, concluded, that Tigray traditional dance practicing can notably improve the psychological wellbeing of high school students