Physical fitness in preschoolers according to body composition

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate physical fitness of preschoolaged children just before entering school according to their body mass index, and to examine possible associations of body mass index, fat mass and fat-free mass with physical fitness in preschool-aged children. Two hundred and fifty-six preschoolers aged 6 to 7 years participated in the study. Physical fitness was assessed using PREFIT test battery and body composition was estimated using four skinfold thickness parameters. Overweight children had lower cardiorespiratory fitness and lower results in all weight-bearing fitness tests, and better handgrip strength test result in comparison with normal-weight children. Significant associations were found between body composition indices and the results of physical fitness tests. Higher BMI associated negatively with weight-bearing physical fitness tests. The results of the research indicate that weight-status and body composition have significant effect on physical fitness in 6–7 years old preschoolers.

Physical Fitness in Children during Growth: Associations with Body Composition, Physical Activity, and Cognitive Skills

“…Peak oxygen consumption (VȮ 2 peak), the highest rate at which oxygen can be consumed during exercise, is widely recognized as the best single measure of young people's cardiorespiratory condition [9]. In epidemiological studies involving children and adolescents, cardiorespiratory fitness is most frequently assessed by 20 m shuttle run test or modified versions of that [1,[10][11][12][13][14]. Higher cardiorespiratory fitness is beneficially associated with multiple health indicators among children [15].…”

“…Speed/agility fitness includes the ability to move the body or its parts as fast as possible (speed) and the ability to move quickly and change direction while maintaining control and balance (agility) [1]. The 30 m sprint test and the 4 × 10 m shuttle run test are widely used tests for assessing speed and/or agility at young age [10][11][12][13][14]. Several other tests such as 10 × 5 m shuttle run and 20-100 m dash have also been proposed [1,[17][18][19][20].…”

“…Maximal (isometric and dynamic) strength, explosive strength, endurance strength, and isokinetic strength have been proposed for the prime health-related muscular fitness components [1]. The handgrip test is one of the most frequently applied tests for investigating muscular fitness in epidemiological studies [1,[10][11][12][13][14]29]. Handgrip strength correlates positively with body mass index (BMI) and fat-free mass, meanwhile, handgrip strength associates inversely with body fat percentage in children [30].…”

“…Among jump tests, standing long jump test has been widely used in young population for assessing explosive strength [1,[10][11][12][13][14]. Since standing long jump test is strongly correlated with other lower-and upper-limb muscular strength tests, it is regarded as a general index of muscular fitness in youth [34].…”