title: Are eating habits associated with physical fitness in primary school children?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Children's eating habits have mainly been related to anthropometric characteristics but less is known about their association with physical fitness.
  
  
  METHODS
  278 French school children (131 boys and 147 girls) filled in eating habit questionnaires and completed anthropometric measurement (weight, height, skinfolds) and physical fitness tests. The 20-m Shuttle run test and the Squat Jump test were used to assess aerobic fitness and anaerobic (lower limb muscle power) fitness respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Breakfast consumption was associated with both aerobic fitness (p<0.05) and lower limb muscle power (p<0.01) while snacking was negatively related to Squat Jump performances (p<0.05). There was no association between physical fitness and either the type of the consumed-beverages or TV watching during dinner and lunch meals. Cumulated unhealthy eating habits was negatively associated with CRF stages and lower limb muscle power performances (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  French primary school children physical fitness is associated with their eating habits and decreases with the number of unhealthy eating behaviors cumulated.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Exercise Physiology, EA3533, Blaise Pascal University, Clermont University, France. David.Thivel@univ-bpclermont.fr
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thivel
authors.forename: Thivel
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aucouturier
authors.forename: Aucouturier
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Julien
authors.forename: Laurie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Isacco
authors.forename: Isacco
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Laurie
authors.forename: Nordine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lazaar
authors.forename: Lazaar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nordine
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ratel
authors.forename: Ratel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sébastien
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Doré
authors.forename: Doré
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eric
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Meyer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martine
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Duché
authors.forename: Duché
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pascale
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires