Indicators to Assess Physical Health of Children and Adolescents in Activity Research—A Scoping Review

Abstract

Sufficient physical activity can help promote and maintain health, while its lack can jeopardize it. Since health and physical activity lay their foundation for later life in childhood and adolescence, it is important to examine this relationship from the beginning. Therefore, this scoping review aims to provide an overview of physical health indicators in children and adolescents in research on the effects of physical activity and sedentary behavior. We identified the indicators used to quantify or assess physical health and summarized the methods used to measure these indicators. We systematically searched Scopus, Pubmed, and Web of Science databases for systematic reviews. The search yielded 4595 records from which 32 records were included in the review. The measurements for physical health reported in the reviews contained measures of body composition, cardiometabolic biomarkers, physical fitness, harm/injury, or bone health. Body composition was the most used indicator to assess and evaluate physical health in children, whereas information on harm and injury was barely available. In future research longitudinal studies are mandatory to focus on the prospective relationships between physical activity or sedentary behavior, and physical health.

Hubungan Aktivitas Fisik Terhadap Kebugaran Jasmani Peserta Didik Sekolah Menengah Pertama

“…Keikutsertaan secara rutin kegiatan olahraga merupakan hal yang penting dalam aktivitas fisik bagi anak-anak dan remaja (Oja & Piksööt, 2022). Menurut World Health Organization (WHO), aktivitas fisik adalah gerak tubuh yang dihasilkan otot rangka dan memerlukan energi serta dapat dilakukan dengan intensitas yang berbeda-beda, sedangkan kebugaran jasmani adalah karakteristik yang mempengaruhi performa olahraga dan kemampuan melakukan aktivitas fisik dengan keterampilan tertentu (Kolb et al, 2021;WHO, 2020;Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2018). Seseorang yang mempunyai kondisi bugar dalam melakukan aktivitas fisik dan olahraga, mampu melaksanakan kegiatan harian dengan tubuh yang sehat, tidak melebihi batas tubuh dan beresiko sakit karena tingkat aktivitas fisik dan kondisi kebugaran yang rendah (Sukamti et al, 2016).…”

“…Salah satu perilaku berbahaya yang sering terjadi yaitu mempunyai kebugaran fisik rendah serta gaya hidup monoton, hal tersebut mampu meningkatkan kemungkinan terserang penyakit seperti obesitas dan diabetes pada anak-anak dan remaja (Kolb et al, 2021). Hal tersebut dapat diatasi dengan strategi yang efektif seperti meningkatkan jumlah aktivitas fisik sehingga berdampak pada peningkatan kebugaran jasmani (WHO, 2017).…”

Health-Related Motor Testing of Children in Primary School: A Systematic Review of Criterion-Referenced Standards

“…Table 1 and Section 3.1 make clear that it does not exist a consistent agreement on a particular health factor that should be used for health-related motor testing. Besides, the literature does not offer an absolutely correct recommendation for a particular health measure either [93]. The most appropriate health factor for the respective context should be selected based on current evidence and knowledge [26].…”

Increasing Physical Activity at School Improves Physical Fitness of Early Adolescents

“…Often the terms PA, PF, and PF parameters are confused. WHO defines PA as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure and can be performed at varying intensities, while PF is defined as a set of attributes that are achieved or possessed in relation to the ability to perform PA or exercise with a specific skill affecting sports performance [2][3][4][5][6]. PF parameters are in other words maximum aerobic capacity, muscle strength, and flexibility [4].…”

“…This leads to an increased risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, renal failure, etc. [2,3]. One of the most promising strategies to minimize common health risks is increasing PA level and frequency.…”