Fitness Parameters and Morphological Characteristics of Overweight and Obese Children Aged Seven

Abstract

The aim of the research was to determine the correlation of morphological characteristics and fitness parameters of overweight and obese boys aged seven. The sample of participants consisted of 198 pupils (boys) aged seven years, from elementary schools from the territory of the city of Niš, Paraćin, Bela Palanka, Leskovac and others, classified as a category with increased body mass or obesity. Morphological characteristics were determined by measuring parameters of longitudinal (3), transversal, (3) circular dimensions (3) and body mass and measurement of subcutaneous fat tissue (3). For the assessment of muscular fitness, body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness, the following tests were used: the plyometric leap, precancer-turn-off, percentage of body fat and Body Mass Index (BMI); a shuttle run test based on the calculated VO2max (L) and VO2max (ml/kg/min) values. A canonical correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between morphological characteristics and fitness parameters. The level of statistical significance was set at .05. The results of the study showed that there is a statistically significant association (p˂.01) between morphological characteristics and fitness parameters in overweight and obese boys aged seven. Participants who have higher values of voluminosity and body width have higher values of fat percentage in the body as well as BMI. Smaller explosive power was found in participants with higher values of skin folds. It has been determined that body mass and voluminosity positively affects the strength of the arm and shoulders, that is, they adversely affect the VO2max values.

Cardiovascular Fitness in Normal Weight and Obese Children and Adolescents - A Systematic Review of Studies Published After 2000s

“…Adipose tissue is endocrinologically active and involved in the interaction between adipocytokines, insulin, and sexsteroid hormones, thereby influencing cardiovascular fitness and metabolic processes (Bunc, 2006). In that regard, Pantelic (2017) considers that excess fat tissue is an obstacle to developing fitness abilities and motor tasks, which is in accordance with another studies (Zivkovic et al, 2018;Dosic et al, 2020), who have identified that children with higher fat mass have worse results in cardiovascular endurance, leg strength, flexibility, and running speed. Hence, overall BMI values are significantly associated with cardiorespiratory fitness, and therefore, multiple included studies have confirmed this statement (Mota et al, 2006;Paschoal et al, 2009;Esmaeilzadeh & Ebadollahzadeh, 2012;Tsiros et al, 2016).…”

“…Likewise, there were around 1,887 participants who were obese, whereas around 2,197 were normally weight (except the total participant sample, the rest of the presented numbers should be used with caution). In addition, two studies have included male participants only (Esmaeilzadeh & Ebadollahzadeh, 2012;Dosic et al, 2020), and only one study (Loftin et al, 2001) had female participants only. The other 16 included studies had mixed gender participants.…”

“…Children who are more physically active have higher aerobic fitness (boys 42.9 ml/kg/min and girls 30.8 ml/kg/ min), while obese children (boys 35.9 ml/kg/min and girls 25.8 ml /kg/min) have much lower (Mitova et al, 2012). According to Dosic et al (2020), the risk of obesity is reduced by 10 % with an increase in maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) of only 1 ml/kg/min. In that regard, Strong et al (2005) recommend appropriate and enjoyable physical activity, depending on the age of the child, lasting at least 60 minutes each day, followed by the desired health outcomes.…”

Franchising in the healthcare & fitness industry

“…The global increase in overweight and obesity has been evident in recent decades and has become extremely widespread in both developed and developing countries, leading to a modern "obesity epidemic" (Shirasava et al, 2015;Forouzanfar et al 2016;Hurbo et al al., 2018;Psaltopoulou et al, 2019;Đošić et al, 2019). Weight gain has a negative effect on people's physical and mental health (Wasiluk & Saczuk, 2020;Strong et al, 2005).…”