Search results for "FITNESS"
showing 10 items of 1020 documents
A fitness index model for Italian adolescents living in Southern Italy. The ASSO project
2016
BACKGROUND: Strong relations between physical fitness and health in adolescents have been established in the last decades. The main objectives of the present investigation were to assess major physical fitness components in a sample of Italian school adolescents, comparing them with international data, and providing a Fitness Index model derived from percentile cut-off values of five considered physical fitness components. METHODS: A total of 644 school pupils (15.9�1.1 years; M: N.=399; F: N.=245) were tested using the ASSO-Fitness Test Battery (FTB), a tool developed within the Adolescents and Surveillance System for the Obesity prevention project, which included the handgrip, standing br…
Physical fitness development in relation to changes in body composition and physical activity in adolescence
2020
The decline in adolescents’ physical fitness (PF) in recent decades has raised concerns about current population’s possible future challenges with health and physical functional capacity. This study explored the associations between body composition, physical activity, maturation, and PF development in adolescents. Furthermore, PF development of adolescents with low initial PF was assessed. A 2‐year observational study was conducted between spring 2013 and 2015. Nine comprehensive schools and their 10‐ to 13‐year‐old students were invited to participate in the study (1778), and a total of 971 students (54.6%) agreed. Cardiorespiratory fitness (20‐metre shuttle run), muscular fitness (push‐u…
Count- versus MAD-based accelerometry-assessed movement behaviors and associations with child adiposity and fitness
2021
usc Estimations of time spent sedentary and in various physical activity intensities may vary according to data reduction methods applied. This study compared associations between children's accelerometer data and adiposity and fitness markers using open source (mean amplitude deviation, MAD) and proprietary (counts) data reduction methods. Complete-case accelerometer, adiposity (Body Mass Index z-score, waist circumference), and fitness (cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal) data from 118 children (10.4 ± 0.6 years, 49% girls) were analyzed. Estimates of sedentary behavior, light-, moderate-, vigorous- (VPA), and moderate- to vigorous-intensity (MVPA) physical activity were calculated using …
Associations of fat mass and fat-free mass with physical fitness in 4-year-old children: Results from the MINISTOP trial
2016
Physical fitness is a powerful marker of health in youth. Studies in adolescents and adults suggest that higher fat mass is related to worse physical fitness. However, there is limited knowledge whether fat mass and fat-free mass are associated with physical fitness already in preschoolers. Baseline data from the MINISTOP (Mobile-based INtervention Intended to STop Obesity in Preschoolers) trial was utilized for this cross-sectional analysis. Body composition was assessed using air-displacement plethysmography. Fat mass index [fat mass (kg)/height(2) (m)] and fat-free mass index [fat-free mass (kg)/height(2) (m)] were used to provide height-adjusted measures of body composition. Physical fi…
Identifying profiles of children at risk of being less physically active: an exploratory study using a self-organised map approach for motor competen…
2018
This study aims to develop profiles in children according to physical fitness, actual and perceived motor competence, and to examine the level of engagement in physical activity and weight status according to these profiles. In the study, 156 typically developing Spanish children (47.4% girls) of primary school age (5-11 years-old) participated voluntarily. Children's perceived and actual motor competence, physical fitness, physical activity participation and weight status were assessed. A Self-Organising Map and K-means cluster analysis were used to classify and visualise the values. Four profiles were found: profile 2 was aligned - high capacity, high perception, profile 1 was partially a…
Physical activity intensity, sedentary behavior, body composition and physical fitness in 4-year-old children : results from the ministop trial
2015
Existing knowledge on associations of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) with body composition and physical fitness in preschoolers is limited.To examine associations of PA and SB with body composition and physical fitness in healthy Swedish 4-year-old children.We utilized baseline data collected in 2014 for the population-based MINISTOP trial (n=307). Light-intensity PA (LPA), moderate-intensity PA (MPA), vigorous-intensity PA (VPA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and SB were measured using accelerometry (ActiGraph-wGT3x-BT). Body composition was measured using air-displacement plethysmography, and physical fitness (that is, cardiorespiratory fitness, lower and upper body m…
Physical Activity and Physical Competence in Overweight and Obese Children: An Intervention Study
2020
With the current obesity epidemic and the decline of fitness among school-aged children, the importance of obesity interventions to promote physical activity and healthy habits has become indisputable. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of a school-based multicomponent intervention in increasing physical activity (PA) levels, actual physical abilities, and perceived physical abilities in clinical and nonclinical samples of overweight/obese boys and girls aged 10–12 years. The clinical intervention group (n = 35) participated in a 7-month after-school program in addition to curricular physical education lessons, while the nonclinical control group (n = 29) received usual cu…
The effect of a movement-to-music video program on the objectively measured sedentary time and physical activity of preschool-aged children and their…
2017
Regular physical activity (PA) and the avoidance of prolonged sitting are essential for children’s healthy growth, and for the physical and mental wellbeing of both children and adults. In the context of exercise, music may promote behavioral change through increased exercise adherence and participation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a movement-to-music video program could reduce sedentary behavior (SB) and increase PA in mother-child pairs in the home environment. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Pirkanmaa region, Finland, in 2014–2016. The participants consisted of 228 mother-child pairs (child age 5–7 years). The primary outcomes of interest were tr…
Birth Size and Childhood Growth as Determinants of Physical Functioning in Older Age: The Helsinki Birth Cohort Study
2011
The study reports on the associations of infant and childhood anthropometric measurements, early growth, and the combined effect of birth weight and childhood body mass index with older age physical functioning among 1,999 individuals born in 1934–1944 and belonging to the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Physical functioning was assessed by the Short Form 36 scale. Anthropometric data from infancy and childhood were retrieved from medical records. The risk of lower Short Form 36 physical functioning at the mean age of 61.6 years was increased for those with birth weight less than 2.5 kg compared with those weighing 3.0–3.5 kg at birth (odds ratio (OR) = 2.73, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.57…
Altered hip control during a standing knee-lift test is associated with increased risk of knee injuries
2020
Few prospective studies have investigated hip and pelvic control as a risk factor for lower extremity (LE) injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether deficits in hip and lumbopelvic control during standing knee lift test are associated with increased risk of acute knee and LE injuries in youth team sports. At baseline, 258 basketball and floorball players (aged 12‒21 y.) participated in a standing knee lift test using 3‐dimensional motion analysis. Two trials per leg were recorded from each participant. Peak sagittal plane pelvic tilt and frontal plane pelvic drop/hike were measured. Both continuous and categorical variables were analysed. New non‐contact LE injuries, an…