Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of the type of extracurricular sport on the body composition, respiratory parameters, and physical condition in prepubertal and pubertal girls. Four hundred and eighty-five female athletes (aged 8–14) from different sports participated in this study. They were gathered into four groups according to the sport typology and maturity level: ‘prepubertal girls who practise collective sports’ (PRE-CS), ‘prepubertal girls who practise individual sports’ (PRE-IS), ‘pubertal girls who practise collective sports’ (PUB-CS), and ‘pubertal girls who practise individual sports’ (PUB-IS). The cardiorespiratory fitness (the 20 m shuttle run test, 20 mSRT), anthropometry, respiratory capacity (forced spirometry), handgrip, CMJ test, and stabilometry were collected. Prepubertal girls showed a lower muscle mass (kg) and fat mass (kg) than pubertal girls regardless of the extracurricular sports typology. PRE-CS and PRE-IS also showed a lower respiratory fitness and physical fitness than pubertal girls (p < 0.05). Pubertal girls did not show significant differences (p > 0.05) in any of the body composition, respiratory fitness, and physical fitness variables when comparing between collective sports and individual sports. The results show that extracurricular participation in these types sports by prepubertal girls can influence their body composition, respiratory fitness, and physical condition.
Highlights
Insufficient physical activity has a negative influence on the body composition, physical fitness, and health in children and adolescents [1,2]
* Difference in muscle fitness variables between prepubertal and pubertal girls for each sports typology, p < 0.05. † Difference in muscle fitness variables between individual and collective sport for each pubertal stage in girls, p < 0.05. This is the first study that analyses the influence of the extracurricular sport typology on the body composition, respiratory fitness, and physical condition of prepubertal and pubertal girls
This increment seems to be higher in girls participating in extracurricular sports [19,45]. This might explain why both pubertal groups showed a higher muscle mass even when the average age (PUB-CS = 13.90 ± 1.14 years; PUB-IS = 13.87 ± 1.29) was lower than the age period during which muscular strength and muscle mass gain are accelerated [43]. The fact that both fat mass and muscle mass increase during adolescence explains why both groups (PUB-CS and PUB-IS) displayed higher body mass index (BMI) levels than the prepubertal girls, which is in line with a previous study in pubertal girls participating in extracurricular sports [46]
Summary
Insufficient physical activity has a negative influence on the body composition, physical fitness, and health in children and adolescents [1,2] This fact is worsened for those children by high levels of sedentary behaviour [3] or their suffering some health disease [4] because these have a detrimental effect on the development of sports skills [5]. These factors, together with the increasing sedentary time engaged in by children after school [6,7] might explain why paediatricians are reporting that today’s youth is less strong, fast, and light than the previous generations [8]. Childhood and adolescence are key stages in the acquisition and establishment of healthy lifestyle habits [16]
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