EFFECTS OF CHEWING KHAT ON CARDIO RESPIRATORY FITNESS RECOVERY TIME OF MALE FOOTBALL PROJECT TEAM PLAYERS IN CASE OF GUNCHIRIE TOWN, GURAGHE ZONE, SOUTH NATIONS, NATIONALITIES AND PEOPLES REGIONAL STATE,ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of chewing khat on cardio respiratory fitness recovery time of Gunchire project football players. A field study (experimental) method was employed in this study. The total sample of the study was 24 active Sport participants in football sport. Since the researcher had closed relation with the team and players, he tried to identify their life style and leisure time activity. At this time 11 of them was chewing khat three days per week if there was no training session at least for two hours and 13 of them were not. Based on this he categorized khat chewers as experimental group and the rest as control group. Most of the study participants were reached by field testing (experiment) which they were expected to rates their efforts on factors that affect the cardio respiratory fitness of football players due to Chewing Khat. Quantitative data were collected, through cardio respiratory fitness tests. Thus the data were tabulated and expressed using paired samples t-test. Finally, the study come up with the major findings: during three minutes step test the average pulse rate of experimental group before 3minutes step test was 73.36bpm and after the test 80.62bpm. The average pulse rate of control group before the test was 72.2bpm and after the test 77.62bpm. This implies that the average pulse rate of experimental group before 3minutes step test was 1.16bpm greater than control group. The average pulse rate of experimental group after the test was 2.37bpm greater than control group. This difference of pulse rate was comes from the effect of chewing khat on cardio respiratory fitness of football players. Again during the second test that was 1.5mile (2.4km) running test the experimental groups finished the given distance 34 seconds slower than the control groups before any training. Again after their training the experimental group finished 2.4 km distance 35 seconds slower than control group. This implies that chewing khat has effects on cardio respiratory fitness of football players. This paper will help by creating awareness about the effects of khat on cardio respiratory fitness on football players