Abstract
AimTo evaluate a two-year longitudinal development of health-related fitness, anthropometry and body composition status amongst adolescents in Tlokwe Municipality, Potchefstroom, South Africa.SettingA total of 283 high-school learners (111 boys and 172 girls) of ages 14 and 15 years who were part of the ongoing Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal Study (PAHLS) participated in the study. For the purpose of the present study, data collected for 2011 and 2012 for anthropometric, body composition and health-related physical fitness were used.ResultsBody mass index (BMI) classification of boys and girls for 2011 and 2012 showed that 24.3% of them were underweight compared with 21% in 2012. In 2011, 50% of boys and girls had normal body weight compared with 52% in 2012, whilst 25.5% of the total group of participants were overweight compared with 27% in 2012. Both boys and girls showed significant increases of 5.9% in body fat (BF) and 3.2 kg in body weight over two years’ measurements, respectively. Regarding health-related fitness (i.e BAH), boys showed an increase of 14.8 seconds whilst girls gained 9.6 seconds. Significant decreases were found for sit-ups in both boys and girls. A significant VO2max increase of 2.9 mL/kg/min. was found in boys over the time period. A non-significant decrease of −0.5 mL/kg/min. was observed in girls. Regression coefficients showed that changes in BMI were inversely associated with those in health-related physical fitness. The changes in percentage BF were negatively associated with standing broad jump (SBJ), bent arm hang (BAH) and VO2 max in both boys and girls. A low significant positive association was found between changes in waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and SBJ in both genders, whilst inverse low associations were found between WHtR and BAH in girls and for VO2max in both genders.ConclusionChanges in BMI, %BF and WHtR were negatively associated with strength and running performances in the participating children. The relative increase in overweight, especially in girls, negatively affected their endurance running and static strength performances. The health implications of the observed findings are discussed and recommendations offered for physical activity intervention in school physical education (PE) programmes.
Highlights
Childhood obesity has become a major public health concern in the new millennium[1] and is one of the most important risk factors of non-communicable diseases in both developed and developing countries.[2]
Measured in terms of body mass index (BMI) and percentage body fat (%BF), obesity has been found to be negatively associated with performance tasks in which the body is raised off the ground, such as standing broad jump (SBJ), and the tasks for which the body has to be lifted in space, such as bent arm hang (BAH) and sit-ups.[10]
The present research was part of the ongoing Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal Study (PAHLS),[5] which commenced in 2010 following a mixed longitudinal survey designed to evaluate the development of physical activity (PA), determinants of health risk, and factors affecting participation in sport and recreational activities amongst 14-year-old high school learners in Tlokwe Municipality, an area within Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality which is located near Potchefstroom, the capital city of North-West Province, South Africa
Summary
Childhood obesity has become a major public health concern in the new millennium[1] and is one of the most important risk factors of non-communicable diseases in both developed and developing countries.[2]. Obesity and overweight have been found to be major contributors to the risk factors of cardiovascular disease amongst children and adolescents.[8,9] Measured in terms of body mass index (BMI) and percentage body fat (%BF), obesity has been found to be negatively associated with performance tasks in which the body is raised off the ground, such as standing broad jump (SBJ), and the tasks for which the body has to be lifted in space, such as bent arm hang (BAH) and sit-ups.[10]
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