Adolescent Biological Maturity and Physical Activity: Biology Meets Behavior

Abstract

The decline in physical activity (PA) across adolescence is well established but influence of biological maturity on the process has been largely overlooked. This paper reviews the limited number of studies which examine the relationship between timing of biological maturity and PA. Results are generally inconsistent among studies. Other health-related behaviors are also considered in an effort to highlight the complexity of relationships between biological maturation and behavior and to provide future research directions.

Biological maturation as a confounding factor in the relation between chronological age and health-related quality of life in adolescent females

“…HRQoL is similar in direction and magnitude to relations between maturation and other health related behaviors, such as smoking, drinking and physical activity [31]. Although an inverse relation was observed between chronological age and HRQOL, in our sample this relation was attenuated and became non-significant once biological maturation was controlled for.…”

Age-ordered shirt numbering reduces the selection bias associated with the relative age effect

“…In particular, it would help to understand how this interaction changes with age. Indeed the influence of biological maturation may be even larger than that for age during the adolescent growth spurt (13-15 years for boys and 11-13 years for girls, based on age of peak height velocity; Sherar et al, 2010), because some children commence biological maturation earlier than others and so chronological age during the growth spurt may be less indicative of maturation (and therefore less likely to influence selections) than what would be expected before and after the growth spurt. If confirmed then this would advocate the use of shirt numbering during the growth spurt that conveys differences in biological maturation -or a combination of maturation and age -rather than simply displaying differences in age.…”

“…This study has illustrated the impact of age-ordered numbering on the selections of scouts, but the shirt numbering if used on a more regular basis may also offer a simple and practical means for sport teams and federations to mediate other indirect effects that perpetuate the RAE (e.g., Sherar et al, 2010). First, if the shirt numbering helps to make coaches more aware of the age differences of their players then the regular use of age-ordered shirts may help coaches to adapt their coaching to the individual needs of the children.…”

“…But the indirect benefits of earlier maturation can be profound, largely due to the evaluations and reactions of others. The physical characteristics associated with early maturation can hold what Sherar, Cumming, Eisenmann, Baxter-Jones, and Malina (2010) term social stimulus value that alter the way the child is treated by their peers and family, often influencing the confidence and self-esteem of the child. Crucially, the social stimulus benefits also extend to the behaviour of coaches and scouts in junior sport.…”

Prevalência de síndrome metabólica e fatores associados em adolescentes de 11 a 17 anos

“…The lack of control of biological maturation may have partially affected the results, since some of the variables analyzed are influenced by maturation. In addition to biological aspects, the process of maturation can also influence social, emotional and behavioral aspects 30 . Another important limitation is the cross-sectional design adopted in this study, which permits analysis of the product but not of the process, a fact impairing the understanding of the metabolic profile found.…”