Principal Components of Fitness: Relationship to Physical Activity and Lifestyle

Interrelationships between metabolic and cardiorespiratory health were examined in 350 healthy adults. Four principal components accounted for 66.7% of the variance in 172 males (M) and for 62.4% in 178 females (F). Factor 1, "obesity," related to body mass index, abdominal circumference, total skinfold thickness, and (M only) abdominal/hip circumference ratio. Factor 2, "cardiovascular fitness," had loadings from resting heart rate and PWC150/kg. Factors 3 and 4 were related to total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol, respectively (plus blood pressures, particularly in F). Factor 1 was linked to caffeine consumption and to exercise frequency (F) or perceived intensity (M). Factor 2 was linked to perceptions of activity relative to others (M and F) and to the intensity of activity (M only). Factors 3 and 4 were associated with perceived fitness and physical activity relative to others. Because perceptions of physical activity and fitness lack consistency, it is suggested that health be judged more directly from simple measures of health related fitness that require little subject cooperation. Key words: caffeine consumption, cardiorespiratory fitness, gender differences, health related fitness, metabolic fitness, perceived activity

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Children’s Weight Gain and Cardiovascular Fitness Loss over the Summer

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph15122770 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. 2770 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Timothy Brusseau ◽

Ryan Burns

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Cardiovascular Fitness ◽

The Body ◽

School Year ◽

School Based ◽

Health Related ◽

Physical Activity Programming ◽

The Impact ◽

Health Related Fitness

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of summer breaks on the body composition and cardiovascular fitness of elementary school children who participated in a multi-year school-based physical activity intervention. Participants were 404 children who had their height and weight measured and completed the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) during physical education classes at the beginning and end of the school year for three consecutive years. To examine the effects of time on health-related fitness data, general linear mixed effects models were employed. The results indicate that there was a trend toward an increase in body mass index (BMI) after the summer of 2015 (p = 0.958), and a significant increase in BMI after the summer of 2016 compared to time point 1 (p < 0.001). For PACER laps, there were trends toward decreases in PACER laps after the summers of 2015 (p = 0.515) and 2016 (p = 0.073). Summer breaks tended to attenuate the BMI and PACER lap improvements that were observed during the intervention. While school-based physical activity programming has had some successes in improving health-related fitness markers, the loss of these improvements over the summer is of concern to both practitioners and researchers. It is clear that additional efforts are needed to limit obesogenic behaviors during the summer months.

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Performance calibration among youth with visual impairment on a 6-minute endurance run test

British Journal of Visual Impairment ◽

10.1177/0264619620912768 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 324-332

Author(s):

TN Kirk ◽

Justin A Haegele ◽

Xihe Zhu

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Visual Impairment ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Visual Impairments ◽

Cardiovascular Fitness ◽

Actual Performance ◽

Before And After ◽

Health Related ◽

Run Test ◽

Health Related Fitness

Physical activity and fitness have long been associated with health, yet youth with visual impairments tend to be less active and less fit than their sighted peers. Performance calibration (i.e., the degree to which predictions about performance reflect actual performance) may be a useful conceptual framework to investigate the relationships between perceptions of health-related fitness and measured fitness performance among youth with visual impairments. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive and postdictive performance calibration of youth with visual impairments on a test of cardiovascular fitness. Twenty-five participants (12 female, 13 male, aged 10–17 years) completed a 6-min endurance run test. Before and after the test, participants estimated how far they would run. Based on these data, performance calibration scores were calculated, and variables were correlated. Gender and visual impairment level-based differences were compared using t tests. Participants were generally overconfident in their predicted run scores but underconfident in their postdictions. Results of the present study suggest that youth with visual impairments are generally poorly calibrated with regard to cardiovascular fitness.

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Childhood Depressive Symptoms, Physical Activity and Health Related Fitness

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology ◽

10.1123/jsep.25.4.419 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 419-439 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Lois Michaud Tomson ◽

Robert P. Pangrazi ◽

Glenn Friedman ◽

Ned Hutchison

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Relative Risk ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Physically Active ◽

Symptoms Of Depression ◽

Health Related ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship ◽

Health Related Fitness

While research has confirmed a negative relationship between adult depression and physical activity, there is little evidence for children. This study examined the relationship of being classified as physically active or inactive by a parent or a teacher to depressive symptoms in children 8 to 12 years of age (N = 933). It also assessed the relationship of playing sports outside of school, and of meeting health related fitness standards, to symptoms of depression. Relative risk of depressive symptoms for inactive classification was 2.8 to 3.4 times higher than it was for active, 1.3 to 2.4 times higher for children not playing sports outside of school, and 1.5 to 4.0 times higher for those not meeting health related fitness goals.

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