Abstract
Even though physical fitness is an important component in children’s health and well-being, there has been a decline in physical fitness over the last several decades. The present study examined potential differences in the development of physical fitness during the academic year and summer vacation in Austrian elementary-school children. A total of 214 children (52.3% boys) completed the German motor test in the fall (after summer vacation) and spring (prior to summer vacation) of every grade throughout their elementary school years. This resulted in eight assessments of cardio-respiratory endurance, muscular fitness, flexibility, speed, agility, and balance over a 4-year period. As expected, physical fitness increased with age but the improvement in cardio-respiratory endurance and muscular fitness was more pronounced during summer vacation (p < 0.01), while the improvement in speed was more pronounced during the academic year (p < 0.01). These results indicate an influence of weather conditions on health-enhancing physical activity in addition to structural and social support. Particularly in geographical regions with cold winters and shorter days, health-enhancing physical activity may be limited. Accordingly, schools need to provide additional opportunities to ensure an adequate amount of physical activity that stimulates the development of physical fitness.
Highlights
As physical fitness is defined as the ability to engage in physical activity (PA) and/or exercise [9], along with the fact that fitness levels achieved at young ages are generally maintained into adulthood, this can have a significant impact on future public health [10,11]
The present study revealed a more pronounced increase in muscular strength and power, as well as cardio-respiratory endurance, in girls, during the summer months compared to the school term
Even though schools are considered an important setting for health-enhancing PA due to the fact that many children can be reached independent of the socio-economic background, the results of the present study indicate that schools may hinder the development of health-related physical fitness
Summary
Physical fitness is a key component in human development, and there is considerable evidence on the beneficial association with physical, mental, emotional, and social health, as well as general wellbeing and overall quality of life [1,2,3,4]. Despite these benefits, physical fitness levels in children and adolescents have declined over the last several decades or stabilized at low levels [5,6,7,8]. In general, with age during childhood and adolescence due to growth and maturation [12,13], this development is influenced by various environmental parameters, including opportunities for fitnessenhancing PA in school and during leisure time, as well as climate and weather conditions
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