Abstract
SummaryBackgroundPhysical activity and physical fitness play an important role in the prevention of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence and reduce the risk of becoming overweight or obese in adulthood.AimTo evaluate the development of physical fitness in overweight and non-overweight primary school children from the first to third grades.MethodsUsing a longitudinal study design, body height and weight as well as physical fitness of primary school children from Tyrol, Austria were measured five times during a period of 2.5 years using the German motor performance test (DMT 6–18).ResultsIn total, 266 children (55% boys) with a mean age of 6.4 ± 0.5 years at baseline participated. The proportion of overweight children was 11% at baseline and 22% at the fifth time point. Overweight children showed a significantly lower physical fitness level (mean total z‑score of DMT6–18) at all 5 time points (Hedges g: 0.64–1.09). Repeated measurement analyses of variances showed a significant increase of physical fitness over time among overweight (partial η2: 0.12) and non-overweight (partial η2: 0.29) children. With respect to gender, physical fitness significantly increased over time among overweight (partial η2: 0.20) and non-overweight (partial η2: 0.28) girls, as well as among non-overweight boys (partial η2: 0.31) but not among overweight boys (partial η2: 0.07).ConclusionOverweight and non-overweight primary school children significantly increased their physical fitness over the study period; however, overweight children showed a significantly lower physical fitness level at all test time points and did not even achieve the mean baseline fitness level of non-overweight children. With respect to the increasing percentage of overweight children over the study period, evidence-based preventive measures to reduce overweight and increase physical fitness should be implemented at the earliest in primary schools with a special focus on overweight boys.
Highlights
The increasing prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in past decades represents a major public health problem of the twenty-first century [1, 2]
According to the Repeated measurement analyses of variances (rANOVA), both overweight (F = 4.6; p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.12) as well as nonoverweight (F = 43.7; p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.29) children showed a significant increase in physical fitness over a period of 2.5 years
Physical fitness showed a significant increase in overweight (F = 5.8; p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.20; Fig. 2) as well as in non-overweight (F = 37.4; p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.28; Fig. 2) girls, and in non-overweight boys (F = 50.0; p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.31; Fig. 3)
Summary
The increasing prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in past decades represents a major public health problem of the twenty-first century [1, 2]. There is evidence that overweight and obese children and adolescents have an increased risk of becoming overweight adults [3]. There is evidence that overweight and obesity, physical inactivity and a lack of fitness at young age are associated with increasing prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, orthopedic problems, and psychosocial constraints later on [6,7,8] leading to a reduced quality of life [9] as well as to a reduced life expectancy of overweight people by several years [10]. Physical activity is favorably associated with physical, psychological/social, and cognitive health indicators of children 5–17 years old [11] while a decrease in physical fitness is associated with an increase in body mass index (BMI) among children and adolescents [12, 13]
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