Exposure to concomitant low health-related physical fitness components and associated sociodemographic factors in Brazilian adolescents

Abstract

Purpose. To determine the prevalence of the presence of concomitant low health-related physical fitness components with sociodemographic factors among Brazilian adolescents living in a small town of German colonization. Methods. A cross-sectional epidemiological study on adolescents (10 to 17 years old) from the public schools of São Bonifácio, Santa Catarina, Brazil (N = 277) was conducted. The FITNESSGRAM test battery was applied to assess three physical fitness components (body com position, cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness). Data on age (split into two age groups of 10-12 and 13-17 years), gender (male/ female), area of residence (rural/urban) and socioeconomic status (low/high) were collected by a questionnaire. Maturity, determined by pubic hair development, was self-assessed. The analyzed physical fitness components were analyzed in terms of the groups of three possible combinations that featured two physical fitness components concomitantly. Adjusted binary and multinomial logistic regression was applied, adopting a confidence level of 95%. Results. 75.4% of boys and 88.5% of girls showed unsatisfactory levels for health in at least one physical fitness component. Girls living in rural areas were more likely to have combinations of excess body fat with low muscular fitness (OR = 5.06, 95% CI [1.31, 19.61]), low muscular fitness with low cardiorespiratory fitness (OR = 5.46, 95% CI [1.24, 23.94]) and feature two (OR = 8.82, 95% CI [1.60, 48.49]) low values of the components regardless of which combination. Boys aged 10-12 years were less exposed to lower fitness levels compared to those with satisfactory levels (OR = 0.09, 95% CI [0.01, 0.61]). Conclusions. More effective measures aimed at promoting physical fitness among adolescents are needed, where special attention should be given to boys aged 10-12 years and girls aged 13-17 years and living in rural areas.

Combinação de indicadores negativos da aptidão física e fatores associados em adolescentes

“…These results corroborate findings in literature, which verified high prevalence of students with negative physical fitness indicators 3,9 . A survey conducted in a city in southern Brazil with students of the same age group as the present study found that 75.4% of boys and 88.5% of girls presented low physical fitness in at least one physical fitness indicator (body composition, muscle and cardiorespiratory fitness).…”

“…The results identified in the present study in relation to the high prevalence of students who individually and simultaneously presented negative physical fitness indicators should be observed with caution, since the large number of cutoff points used to classify physical fitness indicators indicate a lack of consensus on the standardization to be used 1,2,6,9 . Thus, further studies should be carried out to determine specific cutoff points based on reference parameters in order to allow the comparison of results.…”

“…In survey conducted with schoolchildren in the USA, 44.2% had excess body fat 6 . Research conducted with adolescents in cities in southern Brazil found that approximately eight out of ten boys and nine out of ten girls had unsatisfactory health levels for at least one physical fitness indicator; in addition, the percentage of adolescents with negative physical fitness indicators was 23.8%, 34.4% and 30.5% for body fat, muscle fitness and aerobic fitness, respectively 9,10 .…”

“…Although several surveys have been conducted to investigate the relationship between physical fitness indicators with sociodemographic and lifestyle factors in adolescents [9][10][11] , such studies did not investigate the four physical fitness indicators (muscle strength, aerobic fitness, flexibility and body fat) simultaneously, although there is evidence of the interrelation of these components 12 . Investigating the negative health-related physical fitness indicators with sociodemographic and lifestyle factors in adolescents is justified, since in addition to verifying to what extent this particular group of schoolchildren can be screened, information in literature regarding these constructs is presented in their majority, bidirectionally 3,5,11 .…”

The evaluation of physical activity and physical fitness levels of the adolescents staying in the orphanage

“…Health related physical fitness has been focused on body composition which has connected with morphological, functional and motor skills, cardiovascular and muscular (flexibility, power and strength) fitness (Minatto et al, 2012). Cardiovascular fitness has been a result of physical activity and an important component of metabolic health (Mota et al, 2012).…”