A Comparative Study of the Relative Levels of Physical Fitness of Male LDS Missionaries Who are Commencing and Those Just Concluding their Missionary Service

• Main Author: Hoglund, Wilford J.
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 1971
• Subjects: Physical fitness; Mormon missionaries; Exercise Science; Mormon Studies
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4798; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5797&context=etd

The problem of this study was to determine the relative levels of physical fitness of male L.D.S. Missionaires who were commencing and those just concluding their missionary service. The study was conducted with 50 randomly chosen subjects in each group.The following conclusions were drawn based on the findings of the study:1. Returning missionaries were found to have experienced a significant decrease at the .01 level in the following areas: leg and back strength, total strength score, strength quotient, total seconds ran, total endurance score and over-all fitness score.2. Returning missionaries increased in gripping strength at the .01 level of significance.3. There was no significant difference at the .01 level between the two groups in the areas of body weight or arm strength.4. Ninty percent of the returning missionaries were found to be below McCloy's National Strength Norms at .01 level of significance.5. Eighty-six percent of the returning missionaries were classified as being in poor over-all condition as opposed to 26 percent prior to their departing for the mission field.