Analysis of Children’s Physical Characteristics Based on Clustering Analysis

This study assessed the physical development, physical fitness (muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, agility, power, balance), and basal metabolic rate (BMR) in a total of 4410 children aged six (73–84 months) residing in Korea. Their physical fitness was visually classified according to the physical fitness factor and—considering that children showed great variations in the physical fitness criteria depending on their physique and body composition—the study aimed to assess characteristics such as physique and BMR, the precursor for fat-free mass, based on the physical health clusters selected through a multivariate approach. As a result, the physical health clusters could be subdivided into four clusters: balance (1), muscular strength (2), low agility (3), and low physical fitness (3) cluster. Cluster 1 showed a high ratio of slim and slightly slim children, while cluster 2 had a high proportion of children that were obese, tall, or heavy, and had the highest BMR. We consider such results as important primary data for constituting physical fitness management programs customized to each cluster. It seems that it is necessary to have a multidirectional approach toward physical fitness evaluation and analysis methodologies that involve various physical fitness factors of children.

Download Full-text

European normative values for physical fitness in children and adolescents aged 9–17 years: results from 2 779 165 Eurofit performances representing 30 countries

British Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/bjsports-2017-098253 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 52 (22) ◽

pp. 1445-1456 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

Grant R Tomkinson ◽

Kevin D Carver ◽

Frazer Atkinson ◽

Nathan D Daniell ◽

Lucy K Lewis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Fitness ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Muscular Strength ◽

Normative Values ◽

Muscular Endurance ◽

Muscular Power ◽

Monitoring And Surveillance ◽

Lms Method ◽

Better Than ◽

Apparently Healthy

ObjectiveTo develop sex-specific and age-specific normative values for the nine Eurofit tests in European children and adolescents aged 9–17 years.MethodsA systematic review was undertaken to identify papers that explicitly reported descriptive results for at least one of nine Eurofit tests (measuring balance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, muscular power, flexibility, speed, speed-agility and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF)) on children and adolescents. Data were included on apparently healthy (free from known disease/injury) children and adolescents aged 9–17 years. Following harmonisation for methodological variation where appropriate, pseudodata were generated using Monte Carlo simulation, with population-weighted sex-specific and age-specific normative centiles generated using the Lambda Mu Sigma (LMS) method. Sex-specific and age-specific differences were expressed as standardised differences in means, with the percentage of children and adolescents with healthy CRF estimated at the sex-age level.ResultsNorms were displayed as tabulated centiles and as smoothed centile curves for the nine Eurofit tests. The final dataset included 2 779 165 results on children and adolescents from 30 European countries, extracted from 98 studies. On average, 78% of boys (95% CI 72% to 85%) and 83% of girls (95% CI 71% to 96%) met the standards for healthy CRF, with the percentage meeting the standards decreasing with age. Boys performed substantially (standardised differences >0.2) better than girls on muscular strength, muscular power, muscular endurance, speed-agility and CRF tests, but worse on the flexibility test. Physical fitness generally improved at a faster rate in boys than in girls, especially during the teenage years.ConclusionThis study provides the largest and most geographically representative sex-specific and age-specific European normative values for children and adolescents, which have utility for health and fitness screening, profiling, monitoring and surveillance.

Download Full-text

Individuals with Visual Impairments: A Review of Psychomotor Behavior

Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly ◽

10.1123/apaq.13.1.16 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 16-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Steve Skaggs ◽

Chris Hopper

Keyword(s):

Visual Acuity ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Visual Impairments ◽

Future Research ◽

Psychomotor Skills ◽

Muscular Endurance ◽

Fitness Evaluation ◽

Cardiovascular Endurance ◽

Evaluation Instruments

The present paper is a review of the psychomotor abilities of individuals with visual impairments. It was found that cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, flexibility, and balance were significantly lower in individuals with visual impairments than in individuals with nonimpaired sight. Differences were found in physical fitness and psychomotor skills among individuals with visual impairments. Those individuals with a later onset of blindness and greater visual acuity performed best. Segregated environments appeared to foster superior physical fitness and psychomotor skills compared to integrated environments. Findings indicated that some physical fitness evaluation instruments produce inaccurate results in testing individuals with visual impairments. Suggestions for future research are included.

Download Full-text

The association between physical fitness and health in a nationally representative sample of Canadian children and youth aged 6 to 17 years

Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada ◽

10.24095/hpcdp.39.3.02 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 104-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Justin J. Lang ◽

Richard Larouche ◽

Mark S. Tremblay

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Physical Health ◽

Representative Sample ◽

Handgrip Strength ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Psychosocial Health ◽

Children And Youth ◽

Muscular Endurance ◽

Nationally Representative

Introduction This study explored the relationship between physical fitness and indicators of physical and psychosocial health in a nationally representative sample of Canadian children and youth aged 6–17 years. Methods We conducted a secondary data analysis of Canadian Health Measures Survey (Cycles 1 and 2; 2007-2011) data. The physical fitness measures included cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF; modified Canadian Aerobic Fitness Test), strength (handgrip strength), flexibility (sit-and-reach), and muscular endurance (partial curl-ups). The physical health indicators included directly measured biomarkers (total and HDL [high-density lipoprotein] cholesterol, C-reactive protein, glucose, and HbA1c [glycohaemoglobin]) and measures of adiposity, resting heart rate, and blood pressure. Psychosocial health was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Multiple linear regressions were used to determine the association between variables, stratified by age groups and sex. Results 3,800 (48.9% female) children and youth were retained for this analysis. CRF displayed significant favourable associations with most physical health indicators in male and female participants. There were less significant favourable associations with flexibility and muscular endurance compared with CRF across age and sex groups. Strength was associated with higher adiposity in males and females, and lower heart rate in male children (β = −1.9; 95% CI: −2.9, −1.0) and female youth (β = −2.0; 95% CI: −2.7, −1.2). There were few significant favourable associations between measures of physical fitness and psychosocial health in this sample of children and youth. Conclusion These findings suggest that physical fitness, and especially CRF, is a significant indicator of physical health among Canadian children and youth aged 6–17 years.

Download Full-text

Analysis of trends in physique and physical ﬁtness in Korean adults

10.31083/jomh.v17i1.319 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Physical Fitness ◽

Muscular Strength ◽

Age Groups ◽

Age Group ◽

Muscular Endurance ◽

Men And Women ◽

Fitness Level ◽

Korean Adults ◽

Cardiovascular Endurance ◽

Maximum Decrease

Background and objective: This study aimed to investigate the changes and trends in various measures of physique and physical ﬁtness in Korean adults from 2009 to 2017. Material and methods: The physique and physical ﬁtness levels of 19,415 Korean adults aged 20-69 years were investigated using data from the Survey of National Physical Fitness conducted by the Korea Institute of Sport Science. Physical ﬁtness variables included muscular strength (grip strength), muscular endurance (sit-up exercise), power (standing long jump), cardiovascular endurance (20-m shuttle run), and ﬂexibility (sit and reach exercise). Differences between physique and physical ﬁtness variables were evaluated using Pearson's correlation coeﬃcient. Results were expressed as an intensiﬁcation factor. Results: A signiﬁcant relationship was identiﬁed between physique and physical ﬁtness variables (P < 0.05), excluding power and ﬂexibility (r = -0.003, P = 0.683). Height and weight increased in men and women in all age groups except those in the age group of 60-69 years; in this age group, a decrease in height was observed in men, and a decrease in weight was observed in both sexes. Men aged 40-49 years and women aged 20-29 years demonstrated a rapid increase in body mass index (BMI). Muscular strength decreased dramatically in both sexes from the age of 40 years. Muscular endurance increased within each age group, most signiﬁcantly in men aged 60-69 years (32.01%) and women aged 50-59 years (21.0%). However, absolute muscular endurance decreased with age. Power increased signiﬁcantly in men aged 60-69 years (5.61%) and women aged 20-29 years (2.60%), but decreased in men aged 40-49 years (-2.84%) and women aged 60-69 years (-1.89%). Cardiovascular endurance decreased after the age of 30 years in both sexes, with maximum decrease in men aged 40-49 years (-0.77%) and women aged 60-69 years (-9.33%). Flexibility decreased from the age of 30 years in both sexes: men aged 20-29 years (-24.25%) and women aged 30-39 years (-6.60%) showed the maximum decrease. Conclusion: Overall, the following trends were found: BMI increase is likely to occur in men in their 30s and 40s and women in their 60s; muscular strength rapidly decreases in men and women in their 40s; muscular endurance increases over time in men compared to that in women; power reinforcement exercise is necessary for both men and women in their 40s to overcome decreased power; cardiorespiratory endurance largely decreases during the 20s; and ﬂexibility tends to decrease largely in men from the 20s to 40s. There is a correlation between physique and physical ﬁtness in Korean adults. Moreover, the physical ﬁtness level decreases with age. Regular exercise is recommended to improve physical ﬁtness and prevent aging.

Download Full-text

Analyses of University Staff Members’ Health Fitness - A Case Study on Asia University

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.680.639 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 680 ◽

pp. 639-643

Author(s):

Tsui Er Lee ◽

Hsiu Chin Wang ◽

Yu Ting Huang

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Aerobic Fitness ◽

Muscular Strength ◽

Physical Activities ◽

Male And Female ◽

Fitness Evaluation ◽

Fitness Level ◽

Staff Members ◽

Health And Fitness

Objective: to understand the effectiveness of the health and fitness evaluation among the staff members in Asia University. Method: Evaluating and analyzing 95 staff members by using descriptive statistic (17 male, 58 female). The average age of male was 37.73, and 31.59 years old for the female. The evaluation included physical health norm and physical fitness level. The result showed that the average male BMI was over the standard, with blood pressure a little higher than normal. The female BMI and blood pressure were showed as normal. The waistline of both male and female were normal. In the physical fitness area, the male aerobic fitness level was normal, muscular strength was very good and flexibility was normal. The aerobic fitness level of female was normal, muscular strength was good and flexibility was poor. In conclusion, both male and female staff members were doing well in terms of their physical fitness. The male staff members especially need to control their weight in the BMI area. The female staff members should use stretching exercises to improve their flexibility. By doing the health and fitness evaluation helped us to understand the participation in physical activities of the staff members. Their physical fitness level indicated as a reference for their personal physical and health status. Practicing health and physical evaluation has a positive meaning and qualitative reasons. In promoting physical fitness activities and gets the staff members to involve in physical activities in daily basis also develop it as a lifetime habit. Not only to improve the staff members’ health and fitness level effectively, but also the quality of their life.

Download Full-text

Effect of Functional Training on Physical Fitness Among Athletes: A Systematic Review

Frontiers in Physiology ◽

10.3389/fphys.2021.738878 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Wensheng Xiao ◽

Kim Geok Soh ◽

Mohd Rozilee Wazir Norjali Wazir ◽

Othman Talib ◽

Xiaorong Bai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Body Composition ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Muscular Strength ◽

Power Balance ◽

Muscular Endurance ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Functional Training ◽

Training Interventions

There is evidence that functional training is beneficial for the overall physical fitness of athletes. However, there is a lack of a systematic review focused on the effects of functional training on athletes' physical fitness. Thus, the aimed of the present review is to clarify the effects of functional training on physical fitness among athletes. In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) Statement guidelines, the systematic search of PubMed, SCOPUS, EBSCOhost (SPORTDiscus), and CINAHL Plus databases was undertaken on the 2nd November 2020 to identify the reported studies, using a combination of keywords related to functional training, physical fitness, and athletes. From the 145 studies, only nine articles met all eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review. The assessment was performed on the Pedro scale, and the quality of the study included in the nine studies was fair (ranging from 3 to 4). The results showed that speed (n = 6) was the aspect of physical fitness studied in functional training interventions, followed by muscular strength (n = 5), power (n = 4), balance (n = 3), body composition (n = 3), agility (n = 3), flexibility (n = 1) and muscular endurance (n = 1). Existing evidence concludes that functional training significantly impacts speed, muscular strength, power, balance, and agility. Furthermore, there are still limit numbers of evidence showing effect of functional training on flexibility and muscular endurance. In contrast, no significant improvement was found in body composition where functional training was conducted.Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier: CRD4202123092.

Download Full-text

Physical Activity Level Using Doubly-Labeled Water in Relation to Body Composition and Physical Fitness in Preschoolers

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina55010002 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 55 (1) ◽

pp. 2 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marja Leppänen ◽

Pontus Henriksson ◽

Hanna Henriksson ◽

Christine Delisle Nyström ◽

Francisco Llorente-Cantarero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Composition ◽

Energy Expenditure ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Basal Metabolic Rate ◽

Muscular Strength ◽

Total Energy Expenditure ◽

Activity Level ◽

Fat Free Mass ◽

Doubly Labeled Water

Background and objectives: There is a lack of studies investigating associations of physical activity level (PAL) and activity energy expenditure (AEE) using the doubly-labeled water (DLW) method with body composition and physical fitness in young children. Thus, we aimed to examine cross-sectional associations of PAL and AEE with body composition indices and physical fitness components in Swedish preschool children. Materials and methods: PAL was calculated as total energy expenditure measured using DLW divided by the predicted basal metabolic rate in 40 children aged 5.5 (standard deviation 0.2) years. AEE was calculated as total energy expenditure minus basal metabolic rate and the thermic effect of food, and divided by fat-free mass. Body composition was assessed using the 3-component model by combining measurements based on isotope dilution and air-displacement plethysmography. Physical fitness (muscular strength, motor fitness, and cardiorespiratory fitness) was evaluated using the PREFIT test battery. Multiple linear regression models were conducted. Results: PAL and AEE were negatively associated with body mass index, percent body fat, and fat mass index (PAL: standardized β −0.35, −0.41, and −0.45, all p < 0.036; AEE: standardized β −0.44, −0.44, and −0.47, all p < 0.006, respectively). Furthermore, PAL and AEE were positively associated with the standing long jump test (PAL: standardized β 0.37, p = 0.017; AEE: standardized β 0.38, p = 0.014). There were no statistically significant associations found regarding PAL or AEE with fat-free mass index or any other physical fitness test. Conclusions: Greater PAL and AEE at the age 5.5 were significantly associated with body fatness and improved lower-body muscular strength. Therefore, increasing physical activity, and thus energy expenditure, at young ages may be beneficial for preventing overweight/obesity. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the results.

Download Full-text

The Relationship between Body Composition and Physical Fitness and the Effect of Exercise According to the Level of Childhood Obesity Using the MGPA Model

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19010487 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 487

Author(s):

Chae Kwan Lee ◽

Young Kyun Sim ◽

Jae-Hoon Lee ◽

Jang Soo Yook ◽

Soo-Min Ha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Body Composition ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Muscular Strength ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Exercise Program ◽

The Body ◽

Muscular Endurance ◽

The Relationship

Childhood obesity can lead to adulthood obesity with adverse effects. Since body composition and physical fitness differ depending on the obesity degree, a systemic analysis could help classify that degree. We used three study designs based on the obesity degree (body mass index [BMI] as a reference) for our objectives. First, we identified the relationship between body composition and physical fitness. Second, we determined the effects of exercise on body composition and physical fitness. Third, we performed a path analysis of the impact of exercise on body composition and physical fitness, and verified those effects among the groups. In study 1, 164 10-year-old subjects were divided into four groups: 33 in the normal weight (NO), 34 in overweight (OV), 54 in obesity (OB), and 43 in the severe obesity (SOB) group. In study 2, 101 participants from study 1 who wished to participate in the exercise program were divided into four groups (same criteria). The exercise program (three times a week for 60 min, for 16 weeks) consisted of sports and reinforcement exercises of increasing intensity. Body composition was measured by body weight, percentage of body fat (%BF), muscle mass, skeletal muscle mass (SMM), and body mass index (BMI). In contrast, physical fitness was measured by muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, agility, and balance. As a result, all body composition variables were higher in the SOB group than in the other groups. Physical fitness, muscular strength and balance, and agility were highest in the SOB, NO, and OV groups, respectively. Pearson’s correlation revealed that muscular strength was associated with height and body weight across all groups. Agility showed a negative correlation with %BF in the NO, OB, and SOB groups. SMM was positively correlated in the OB and SOB groups. After the exercise intervention, BMI and the %BF of the SOB group were significantly reduced (p < 0.01, and p < 0.001, respectively), while SMM presented a significant increase (p < 0.001). Height also showed a significant increase in all groups (p < 0.001). Among physical fitness variables, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, and balance showed a significant increase in all groups, while a significant increase in power was observed in only the OB and SOB groups. As for the effects of the body composition on physical fitness after exercise intervention, the greatest impact was observed for balance, muscular strength and agility, and muscular endurance in NO, OV, and OB groups, respectively. In conclusion, the body composition, physical fitness relationship, and the effects of exercise intervention on them differed depending on the obesity degree. Furthermore, the results varied according to the obesity degree. Thus, our study highlights the importance of creating particular exercise programs for the effective prevention and treatment of childhood obesity considering the obesity degree.

Download Full-text