Does aerobic exercise really enhance self-esteem in children?

Despite the assumption that aerobic exercise has been empirically linked to high self-esteem in children, little research has been done in the area. The purpose of the present study was to examine the link between aerobic exercise, and both self-esteem and problem behaviors in children. A group of 67 children grades 3-5 received an intensive aerobic exercise intervention and a group of 80 grade-matched children received a minimally aerobic exercise program. The duration of the intervention period was 13 weeks. The Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC) was administered to both groups pre and post-intervention. Parents similarly completed the Behavioral Rating Index for Children to assess the level of problem behaviors pre and post-intervention. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that the exercise curriculum did not significantly improve any of the six SPPC sub-scores of the experimental group as compared to the control group, nor did it diminish their level of problem behaviors. Furthermore, the comparison group improved their General Self-Worth sub-scores as compared to the experimental group. In general, the results of this study do not support the conclusion that aerobic exercise is linked to increases in self-concept. An alternate possibility for these findings may be the presence of a ceiling effect, where both groups began and finished the implementation period scoring well above average. Additional research is recommended to examine both the immediate and long-term efficacies of children’s exercise programs in promoting self-concept.