title: Cardiovascular fitness moderates the relations between estimates of obesity and physical self-perceptions in rural elementary school students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Levels of physical activity decline throughout childhood. Children's physical self-perceptions have been found to relate to their physical activity. Understanding the relationships among physical self-perceptions, obesity, and physical activity could have important implications for interventions in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The current study investigated the moderating effect of cardiovascular fitness (CVF, heart rate recovery from a 3-minute step test) on the relationship between obesity (BMI, waist circumference) and physical self-perceptions (athletic competence, physical appearance) in 104 fourth- and fifth-grade children from a small rural community.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that CVF moderated the relations between BMI and waist circumference on athletic competence. For children with lower fitness, higher waist circumference was associated with lower athletic competence, while for children with higher fitness levels, higher BMI was associated with higher athletic competence. Results also indicated that both BMI and waist circumference were negatively related to physical appearance. CVF moderated these relations such that only children with lower fitness, greater BMI and waist circumference was associated with poorer physical appearance scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implications include the need for support of fitness programs to promote psychological well-being and to investigate the relationship between obesity and physical self-perceptions within the context of fitness.
authors.affiliation: School of Professional Psychology, Spalding University, Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Nathanael G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Justin B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Wendy S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Bibeau
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rudasill
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002319:Cardiovascular System; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology