Body mass index, physical activity, and physical fitness of adolescence.

Abstract

Background: Adolescents experience growth and significant changes in body composition which influence physical activity and response to sport or exercise. The level of physical fitness in adolescent girls is usually lower than that of boys, due to differences in body composition and levels of physical activity. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between fat mass percentage, body composition, physical activity, and physical fitness.Design and Methods: This study used an analytical observational, and cross-sectional design with total samples consisting of 70 male and female students aged 14-15 years. They were selected through simple random sampling, and the data collected were anthropometric measurements, body composition, physical activity and physical fitness. In addition, the Pearson correlation test was used for data analysis.Results: The results showed that 68.57% of participants had a normal body mass index, 74.3% had moderate physical activity, and 44.28% had fat mass percentage including an obesity category and, 54.29% had low physical fitness. Furthermore, the Pearson test showed a significant relationship between physical activity, body mass index and fat mass percentage with physical fitness.Conclusions: An increased fat mass percentage is associated with decreased levels of physical fitness. Furthermore, a good determinant of low physical fitness in obese conditions is the percentage of fat mass rather than BMI.Significance for public healthPhysical fitness plays a role in maintaining physical and mental health. It is associated with fat mass percentage, body mass index, and physical activity. Low physical activity supported by a high percentage of fat mass and a high body mass index reduces physical fitness, which causes a decrease in work productivity while increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. This study describes the relationship between energy intake, body mass index, percentage fat mass, physical activity, and physical fitness in schoolchildren aged 13-14 years.