Short-term tracking of performance and health-related physical fitness in girls: The Healthy Growth in Cariri Study

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to track the performance and health-related physical fitness of girls from Brazil's Cariri region. In the “Healthy Growth in Cariri Study”, 294 girls from public and private schools were divided into four age cohorts – 8, 10, 12, and 14 years – and followed for three consecutive years, with an assessment every 6 months. Shuttle run, hand grip, standing long jump, trunk lift, curl-up, 12-min run, and fatness were used to rate physical fitness performance and health-related components on each of six occasions. Tracking was done in a stepwise manner, using auto-correlation, by modelling the individual history of change in performance of each girl, and using Foulkes and Davies’ γ-coefficient. SPSS 18.0 and TIMEPATH were used for data analysis. Auto-correlations evidenced low-to-moderate values in almost all components of performance and health-related physical fitness. Intra-individual tracking analysis showed large variation in all fitness components as a result of a wide spread in individual history of change in fitness performance. Population estimates of γ were low in all tests. Our results show low-to-moderate tracking of physical fitness components of girls. A wide range of intra-individual and inter-variability in fitness development was observed.     

Objectively measured physical activity,body composition and physical fitness: Cross-sectional associations in 9- to 15-year-old children

The aim of this study was to examine and quantify the cross-sectional associations of body composition (BC), physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) with physical fitness (PF) in children and adolescents. A sample of 594 Finnish students (56% girls), aged 9–15 (12.4?±?1.3 years) were selected for a study performed in 2013. The measurements of the Move! monitoring system for physical functional capacity were used to measure cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness and fundamental movement skills. Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and ST were measured objectively with an accelerometer and BC by a bioelectrical impedance analysis. Fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) were calculated to represent height-adjusted BC. Associations were explored with a linear regression model. In general, FMI had statistically significant negative associations, while FFMI and MVPA had positive associations with PF. No statistically significant associations were observed between ST and PF. In general, FMI had the strongest association with PF, although some variation occurred with sex and PF component. However, associations were practically relevant only in 20-m shuttle run, push-up, curl-up and 5-leaps test. For example, approximately 5?kg increase in fat mass in 155?cm tall children was estimated to correspond to 8 laps in 20-m shuttle run. Similar increase in fat-free mass corresponded to +4 and +6 laps, and 10?min increase in daily MVPA +3 and +2 laps in 20-m shuttle run, in boys and girls, respectively. Understanding these associations is necessary when interpreting children’s PF and designing interventions.     

Socioeconomic status and physical fitness in youth: Findings from the NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey

ABSTRACT

This study examined the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and musculoskeletal (MSF) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in youth. The sample consisted of boys and girls between 3-15 years. SES was categorized utilizing family-income-to-poverty ratio (FIPR). All analyses were standardized for age and sex. For each test of physical fitness, SES was used to estimate mean fitness test percentile and 95% confidence intervals, controlling for race/ethnicity and physical activity. Odds ratios were calculated for the likelihood of having low fitness by SES category. In general, the high SES group had a better composite MSF, body composition, and CRF profiles than low and moderate SES groups. Statistically significant differences were identified for relative grip strength, plank, body mass index, and cardiovascular endurance time (all p < 0.05). Additionally, the odds of low/poor MSF fitness were 1.7 and 1.6 times higher in the low and moderate SES groups (respectively) compared to the children from high SES families. The moderate SES group had an odds of poor CRF 1.6 times higher than the high SES group as well. Children and adolescents from high SES families tend to have higher mean fitness and were less likely to have low/poor fitness.     

Sex-specific associations of moderate and vigorous physical activity with physical fitness in adolescents

The present study examined the sex-specific associations of moderate and vigorous physical activity (VPA) with physical fitness in 300 Japanese adolescents aged 12–14 years. Participants were asked to wear an accelerometer to evaluate physical activity (PA) levels of various intensities (i.e. moderate PA (MPA), 3–5.9 metabolic equivalents (METs); VPA, ≥6 METs; moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), ≥3 METs). Eight fitness items were assessed (grip strength, bent-leg sit-up, sit-and-reach, side step, 50?m sprint, standing long jump, handball throw, and distance running) as part of the Japanese standardised fitness test. A fitness composite score was calculated using Japanese fitness norms, and participants were categorised according to their score from category A (most fit) to category E (least fit), with participants in categories D and E defined as having low fitness. It was found that for boys, accumulating more than 80.7?min/day of MVPA may reduce the probability of low fitness (odds ratio (ORs) [95% confidence interval (CI)]?=?0.17 [0.06–0.47], p?=?.001). For girls, accumulating only 8.4?min of VPA could reduce the likelihood of exhibiting low fitness (ORs [95% CI]?=?0.23 [0.05–0.89], p?=?.032). These results reveal that there are sex-specific differences in the relationship between PA and physical fitness in adolescents, suggesting that sex-specific PA recommendation may be needed to improve physical fitness in adolescents.     

体育专业学生身体素质训练方法体系与评价体系的研究

通过4年的追踪研究,论证了在体育专业学生中开设“身体素质活动课程”,引导学生多方位进行身体素质训练,确定客观的、科学的评价体系,能有效地提高学生的身体素质水平,促进学生专项技术与技能的掌握和提高,丰富专业教学理论。     

从我国文化心理的角度对青少年体质下降问题的探究

从中国人“自我”观、“重文轻武”思想、“权威思维”、“实用思维”等文化心理特质对我国青少年体质下降问题进行探究,并将这些特质贯穿于社会、家庭、学校、青少年自身四个方面进行分析,以期获得对这一问题的新认识.     

Associations between anxiety,self-efficacy,and outcomes by gender and body size dissatisfaction during fitness in high school physical education

Background: Noteworthy proportions of adolescents – particularly females – report negatively about their experiences regarding fitness and the testing of it during physical education (PE). These accounts often coincide with lower levels of body image, fitness, motivation, and physical activity and higher rates of attrition from optional PE.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test path relations between body size dissatisfaction (BSD), test anxiety (TA), self-efficacy, and fitness-related outcomes during fitness in PE and to determine whether these differ as a function of gender and level of BSD.

Method: Survey data were collected from 394 9th and 10th-grade students in southern Ontario, Canada. A previously validated BSD measure was used that consisted of a series of nine gender-specific silhouettes ranging from very thin/slender to very large/overweight. Students’ dissatisfaction score involved subtracting self-ratings of their ideal body size from current body size estimates. Fitness indices in PE (FIPE)was the z-score of the sum of self-reported fitness level, fitness grade in PE, and frequency of active exercise at least 30 minutes per day. Self-efficacy and TA were assessed using established scales from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire.

Data analysis: Multivariate analysis of variance was used to assess group differences whereas gender-specific confirmatory factor and path analyses were used to test the proposed path in which relations between BSD and FIPE were manifest indirectly through TA and self-efficacy.

Findings: The hypothetical path fit the data in the overall sample and fit better for females than for males. Females reported a higher BSD and a lower self-efficacy and FIPE than males. BSD was evident in both genders with most females desiring a thinner body compared to boys who had relatively equal proportions wanting to be bigger and thinner. Males wanting to be smaller reported significantly lower self-efficacy and FIPE than males with little BSD or those wanting to be larger. Females desiring a thinner body reported significantly more TA and lower FIPE than females with no BSD.

Conclusion: Body image concerns and elevated levels of anxiety appear to undergird the influence of self-efficacy on FIPE. This is particularly so in females, although both females and males with a BSD are susceptible to lowered fitness motivation and achievement in PE. Suggestions are provided to help physical educators to structure fitness curricula and pedagogy to better minimize this vulnerability. These include catering to the gender-specific needs and preferences for fitness activities during PE including the testing of fitness.     

Associations of total sedentary time,screen time and non-screen sedentary time with adiposity and physical fitness in youth: the mediating effect of physical activity

The aims of the present study were: i) to examine the associations of total accelerometer-based sedentary time (ST) and specific-domain self-reported ST (i.e., screen-based, educational-based, social-based, and other-based ST) with adiposity and physical fitness in youth; and ii) to analyse the mediation effect of physical activity (PA) on associations.

This study was conducted with 415 children (9.1 ± 0.4 years) and 853 adolescents (13.6 ± 1.6 years) in Spain during 2011–2012. Total ST and PA were assessed by accelerometry. Leisure-time spent in twelve sedentary behaviours was self-reported. Adiposity and physical fitness was measured following the ALPHA battery for youth.

Total accelerometer-based ST was positively associated with global adiposity score in children, and negatively associated with global physical fitness score in children and adolescents; but relationships were not independent of PA. PA mediated all associations of accelerometer-based and self-reported ST with adiposity or physical fitness in children. Conversely, screen-, educational-, social-, and other-based ST were negatively related to physical fitness in adolescents, independently of PA.

These findings give an impetus to developing effective strategies for specifically promoting PA in children and for increasing PA while reducing ST in adolescents in order to produce improvements on adiposity and physical fitness.     

Between-school variation in physical activity,aerobic fitness,and organized sports participation: A multi-level analysis

Abstract

A large proportion of a child's day is spent at school interacting with certain physical surroundings, teachers, and school friends. Thus, schools could have a marked impact on establishing physical activity habits. The aim of the present study was to assess between-school variation in physical activity, aerobic fitness, and organized sports participation. Altogether, we tested 1766 nine- and fifteen-year-old children attending 242 school classes at 35 different schools in Denmark in 1997–2003. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for objectively assessed physical activity ranged between 0.06 and 0.18 depending on the dimension of physical activity and the time considered (i.e. school time vs. leisure time). For aerobic fitness, an ICC of 0.10 was observed, whereas that for organized sports participation ranged between 0.01 and 0.10 depending on the age group. Studying between-school variation in physical activity provides information about the extent to which children adjust their physical activity habits according to the social and environmental circumstances that they share, and helps to plan future school-based physical activity studies, especially in terms of sample size and power calculation.     

Effects of an afterschool community center physical activity program on fitness and body composition in obese youth

Physical activity (PA) promotes health in obese youth and is an important adjunct to medical weight management. Access to structured fitness programmes for obese, low-income youth is limited and potential benefits of such programmes are poorly understood. We describe an urban afterschool fitness programme for obese youth and participants’ changes in fitness and body composition. A case series of 30 youth (age: 11.5 ± 2.5 years) with BMI ≥95th percentile and physician referral received a 24-wk programme scholarship. The programme, offered 4 times a week for 90-min.session, included aerobic, strength, and self-organised PA. Primary outcomes, measured at baseline (BL) time 1 (4–8 wk) and time 2 (12–16 wk) were BMI, per cent body fat (%BF), fat-free mass (FFM), heart rate during a treadmill test, and muscular strength (one repetition maximum (1RM)) and endurance (reps at 70% of 1RM) on the leg press (LP) and chest press (CP). Average participation was 1.5 ± 0.6 visits per week for 18.7 ± 6.5 weeks. Between BL and time 2, LP and CP 1RM and endurance significantly improved (P < 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant interaction for %BF with boys losing 5.2% (P > 0.05) while girls lost 0% (>0.05). Obese youth attending an urban fitness programme for at least three months improved strength and body composition, but average attendance was below planned levels.     

Relationship between weight status and cognition in children: A mediation analysis of physical fitness components

ABSTRACT

Cross-sectional study aimed to analyse differences in cognitive performance across fitness components categories (cardiorespiratory fitness [CRF], speed-agility and muscular fitness [MF]) and weight status in children, and to determine whether physical fitness mediates the association between body mass index (BMI) and cognitive performance. Fitness components and BMI were measured using standard procedures in 630 children aged 5-to-7 years from the provinces of Cuenca and Ciudad Real, Spain. BADyG was used to assess cognitive performance. We used ANCOVA models to test mean differences in cognition scores by BMI and fitness categories. Hayes’s PROCESS macro was used for mediation analyses. Children with normal weight scored better in spatial factor and general intelligence than their overweight/obese peers (p < 0.05), but differences were attenuated when controlling for CRF (p > 0.05). Children with better results in CRF and speed-agility scored better in all cognitive dimensions even after controlling for BMI (p < 0.05). Similarly, children with high MF obtained better scores in verbal factor (p < 0.05). All fitness components acted as mediators of the relationship between BMI and general intelligence (p < 0.05). These findings highlight the crucial role of fitness in minimising the negative effect of excess weight on children’s cognition.

Abbreviations: BMI: Body mass index; CRF: Cardiorespiratory fitness; MF: Muscular fitness; BADyG E1: Battery of general and differential aptitudes; SES: Socioeconomic status; SD: Standard deviation; IE: Indirect effect     

全民健身公平:内涵、评价与对策

分析了全民健身公平的内涵,从全民健身过程公平的资源配置(投入)和服务供给(产出)两个方面,构建了全民健身公平的评价指标体系,通过灰色关联评价模型对我国区域全民健身公平进行实证分析,进而有针对性地提出促进我国全民健身公平发展对策,即明确全民健身公平的法律地位;突出政府全民健身服务供给的主导职能;建立全民健身服务公平运行机制;建立全民健身服务公平评价机制。     

Active relatives and health-related physical fitness in European adolescents: The HELENA Study

Abstract

High physical fitness in childhood and adolescence is positively associated with favourable health-related outcomes. Our aim was to examine the relationship between relatives’ (father, mother, brother, sister, and best friend) physical activity engagement and encouragement on adolescents’ physical fitness. Adolescents were part of the HELENA study, a multi-centre study conducted in 10 cities from nine European countries in 2006–2008. Participants were 3288 adolescents (48% boys, 52% girls) aged 12.5–17.5 years with valid data on at least one of the three fitness variables studied: muscular strength (standing long jump), speed/agility (4×10 m shuttle run), and cardiorespiratory fitness (20 m shuttle run). The adolescents reported their relatives’ physical activity engagement and encouragement. Analysis of covariance showed that relatives’ physical activity engagement (father, mother, brother, and best friend) was positively related to cardiorespiratory fitness (P < 0.05); and mother's and sisters’ physical activity engagement were positively associated with higher muscular strength in adolescents (P < 0.05). Furthermore, father's physical activity encouragement was positively linked to physical fitness (all fitness components) in adolescents (P < 0.05). Interventions aimed at improving physical fitness in young people might be more successful when family members, particularly mothers and fathers, are encouraged to engage in physical activity and support adolescents’ physical activity.     

Tracking of Physical Fitness Components from Childhood to Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT

Childhood physical fitness relative to adult health outcomes coupled with scant longitudinal research indicates that tracking of fitness components throughout childhood/adolescence is imperative. The study examined the stability/tracking of 9 measures of fitness for boys and girls at 5 points throughout childhood/adolescence. Tracking coefficients between individual fitness measures at various age comparisons were calculated. Using a sample with recorded data at 4 time-points, tertiles (high, moderate, low) were calculated for each fitness measure for boys and girls. Stability of fitness measures was calculated. Boys outperformed girls on fitness measures at most time points. Significantly low to moderately high tracking coefficients for each fitness measure at all time points for boys (r = .21-.79) and girls (r = .23-.89) were found. Tertile ratings remained stable across the 4 time-points. Findings highlight the importance of developing healthy fitness behaviors early in life and the significance of intervention during adolescence in low-fit youth.     

篮球队竞技能力非衡补偿理论研究——体能补偿研究

运用录像观察法、数理统计法,对NBA2006—2007赛季西部决赛马刺队、爵士队5场比赛得、失分统计结果进行分析,结果发现,球队得、失分在时间维度上存在非衡性。通过对篮球比赛中球队得、失分变化分析．可以将球队在一场比赛中体能变化分为四个时段,即1min-9min、10min-24min、25min-34min、35min-48min四段,运用非衡性补偿方法与平衡性补偿方法。对球队场上运动员进行配备、替换,能够提高球队的稳定性。     

Inter-participant variability in daily physical activity and sedentary time among male youth sport footballers: independent associations with indicators of adiposity and cardiorespiratory fitness

Participation in youth sport is assumed to promote and contribute towards more physically active lifestyles among children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine inter-participant variability in objectively measured habitual physical activity (PA) behaviours and sedentary time among youth sport participants and their implications for health. One-hundred-and-eighteen male youth sport footballers (Mean ± s = 11.72 ± 1.60) wore a GT3X accelerometer for 7 days. Average daily PA [min · day^?1, in light (LPA), moderate (MPA), vigorous (VPA) and combined moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA)] and sedentary time were calculated. Participants’ body mass index adjusted for age and sex (BMI–standard deviation score), per cent body fat (BF%), waist circumference and cardiorespiratory fitness were assessed. Results revealed that variability in daily PA behaviours and sedentary time (min · day^?1) was associated with BMI–standard deviation score [VPA (?), MVPA (?)], BF% [sedentary time (+), VPA (?), MVPA (?)], waist circumference [sedentary time (+), LPA (?)] and cardiorespiratory fitness [sedentary time (?), MPA (+), VPA (+), MVPA (+)]. Whilst sedentary time and MVPA were not related to health outcomes independent of one another, associations with markers of adiposity and cardiorespiratory fitness were stronger for sedentary time. Sedentary time was also significantly positively related to waist circumference independent of VPA. Results demonstrate inter-participant variability in habitual PA and sedentary time among youth sport participants which holds implications for their health. Thus, promoting PA and, in particular, reducing sedentary time may contribute towards the prevention of adverse health consequences associated with a physically inactive lifestyle for children and adolescents active in the youth sport context.     

1999年浙江省机关干部和知识分子体质状况调查

通过对浙江省13892例机关干部和知识分子的体质检测,依据97《中国成年人体质测定标准》进行评定。结果显示：1999年浙江省机关干部知识分子体质检测合格率为90．49％。随着年龄的增长体质呈下降的趋势。其中女性的合格率高于男性。全省各市的体质状况也有较大的差别。     

A multidimensional approach to talent identification and selection in high-level youth Australian Football players

There is limited research in talent identification in youth Australian Football (AF), especially the factors that underpin selection into higher-level development programs. Therefore, this study explored age-related differences in high-level youth AF players and investigated characteristics influencing selection into a high-level development program. Anthropometry (stature, sitting height, body mass), maturity (estimated age at peak height velocity), motor competence (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder), fitness (change of direction speed, lower body power and upper body muscular endurance) and coach skill ratings (kicking, marking and handballing) of 277 state academy players (U13-U15) were assessed. MANOVAs identified significant age-related differences for anthropometry, fitness, and coach skill ratings. Furthermore, 90.9 and 90.0% of U15 selected and deselected players were classified correctly. Selected players were more mature, taller, heavier, more explosive, faster at changing directions, and had superior kick technique and marking results. These results demonstrate considerable age-group performance outcome differences, highlighting that high-level academies should aim to select or deselect after 15 years of age. Additionally, it appears earlier maturing players are favoured for selection into a high-level academy. While practitioners must consider the confounding effect of maturation, early maturing players may be favoured for their ability to withstand increasing demands in higher-level youth AF.     

我国优秀激流回旋运动员运动素质训练监测指标的研究

以备战2004年雅典奥运会资格赛的14名国家激流集训队划艇选手为研究对象，对所选取的17项运动素质指标进行测试和分析，确定影响优秀激流运动员运动素质的主要因子，选出8项身体训练的监测指标，并制定了评定标准和评定方法。     

影响大学生体质健康的因素分析

采用问卷调查、文献资料等方法,分析了学校、体育教师和学生在体育工作和体育活动方面存在的不足,进而将学校的体育工作同增强学生体质、增进学生健康有机地结合起来。