title: Fatness and physical fitness of girls 7 to 17 years.
abstract: A two-fold approach was used to investigate the association between fatness and fitness of girls 7 to 17 years of age: first, age-specific correlations between fatness and measures of health-related and motor fitness, and second, comparisons of fitness levels of girls classified as fat and lean. A representative sample of 6700 between 7 to 17 years was surveyed. Adiposity (fatness) was estimated as the sum of five skinfolds (biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac, medial calf). Physical fitness included health-related items (step test, PWC170, the sit and reach, sit-ups and leg lifts, flexed arm hang) and motor performance items (standing long jump, vertical jump, arm pull strength, flamingo stand, shuttle run, plate tapping). Age-specific partial correlations between fatness and each fitness item, controlling for stature and weight, were calculated. In addition, in each age group the fattest 5% (presumably the obese) and the leanest 5% were compared on each fitness test. After controlling for stature and weight, subcutaneous fatness accounts for variable percentages of the variance in each fitness item. Estimates for health-related fitness items are: cardiorespiratory endurance-step test (3% to 5%) and PWC170 (0% to 16%), flexibility-sit and reach (3% to 8%), functional strength-flexed arm hand (6% to 17%) and abdominal strength-sit-ups/leg lifts (1% to 8%). Corresponding estimates for motor fitness items are more variable: speed of limb movement-plate tapping (0% to 3%), balance-flamingo stand (0% to 5%), speed and agility-shuttle run (2% to 12%), static strength-arm pull (4% to 12%), explosive strength-standing long jump/vertical jump (11% to 18%). At the extremes, the fattest girls have generally poorer levels of health-related and motor fitness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin, USA.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Malina
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Beunen
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Classens
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lefevre
authors.forename: B V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Vanden Eynde
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Renson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vanreusel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simons
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D001530:Belgium; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*