Controlling effort intensity and its effect on physical activity on school-aged children

The aim of the present work is to give up the pupils a simple tool that let them to control the intensity of their physical activity using in this way the rating of perceived exertion. 32 subjects (n(1) = 12 boys and n(2) = 20 girls), 11.5 +/- 0.5 years old were involved in a physical activity program on a six-station circuit. Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion with the OMNI scale were meassured. After seven sessions were observed high correlations between both parameters (r= 0.54 - 0.76). Once the program finished the pupils could regulate their effort in a 53,13% with perceived heart rate and 56,25% with real heart rate, inside an established heart rate range, giving them a practice procedure to control the intensity of their physical activity while exercising.