Physical fitness, physical activity, sedentary behavior and academic performance among adolescent boys in different weight statuses

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare physical fitness, physical activity, sedentary behavior and academic performance in a sample of 15- to 17-year-old adolescent boys in different weight statuses. Participants were 538 adolescent boys, who underwent standard anthropometry and nine physical fitness tests (one-mile run/walk, sit and reach, pushups, sit ups, 40-m run speed, agility, standing long jump, vertical jump and hand grip). Physical activity (PA) and academic performance were evaluated by questionnaire and cumulative grade point average (CGPA), respectively. 16.6, 66.4, 12 and 5.1 % of the adolescent were underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese, respectively. The obese adolescent boys had significantly higher sedentary time and lower PA than their underweight, normal weight and overweight counterparts (P < 0.05). Significant difference for the CGPA between the underweight and obese adolescent boys was disappeared after controlling for the confounders (e.g., sedentary behavior and socioeconomic status). Overall, the normal weight adolescents represented better physical fitness performance than the underweight and overweight/obese adolescent boys. Although the underweight adolescents performed better in some physical fitness tests than their overweight/obese counterparts, however, significant differences were disappeared or reversed (such as sit and reach, standing long jump and run speed tests) after controlling for fat mass. Higher sedentary time and lower physical activity in the obese adolescent boys of this study was found. Academic performance of the adolescents was not significantly different among the weight statuses after controlling for the confounders. Furthermore, it seems not only overweight and obesity, but also underweight to be determinant of health-related physical fitness tests in the adolescents.