Abstract
ObjectiveTo analyze the association between physical activity (PA) and biological maturation in children and adolescents. Data sourceWe conducted a systematic review in April 2013 in the electronic databases of PubMed/Medline, SportDiscus, Web of Science and Lilacs without time restrictions. A total of 628 articles potentially relevant were identified and 10 met the inclusion criteria for this review: cross‐sectional or longitudinal studies, published in Portuguese, English or Spanish, with schoolchildren aged 9‐15 year old of both sexes. Data synthesisDespite the heterogeneity of the studies, there was an inverse association between PA and biological maturation. The PA decreases with increased biological and chronological age in both sexes. Boys tend to be more physically active than girls; however, when controlling for biological age, the sex differences disappear. The association between PA and timing of maturation varies between the sexes. Variation in the timing of biological maturation affects the tracking of PA in early adolescent girls. This review suggests that mediators (BMI, depression, low self‐esteem, and concerns about body weight) can explain the association between PA and biological maturation. ConclusionsThere is a relationship between PA and biological maturation. PA decreases with increasing biological age with no differences between sexes. As for the timing of biological maturation, this relationship varies between sexes.
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