Obesity and physical fitness of pre-adolescent children during the academic year and the summer period: effects of organized physical activity.

Full Abstract

This study examined obesity and parameters of physical fitness in 178 elementary schoolchildren during an academic year as well as after the summer holidays. Results showed significant physical fitness improvements during the school year, with little or no changes in the summer holidays. Children who reported less than 30 minutes of daily participation in physical activity demonstrated lower prevalence rates for overweight and obesity as well as superior fitness performance. The detrimental effect of the summer break on the progress of physical fitness was less in children who did participate in physical activity than in those who did not. Longitudinal modelling using generalized estimating equations demonstrated that physical activity is a major contributing factor for obesity over time, masking the singular effect of various fitness parameters. It is concluded that pre-adolescent children advance in physical fitness mainly during the school year, with physical activity being a beneficial countermeasure for the development of obesity.

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Author information

Author/s: Christodoulos, Antonios D (AD); Flouris, Andreas D (AD); Tokmakidis, Savvas P (SP);

Affiliation: Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and community (J Child Health Care), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Sep; vol 10 (issue 3) : pp 199-212

Dates: Created 2006/08/30; Completed 2006/11/03;

PMID: 16940343, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Body Mass Index
Chi-Square Distribution
Child
Female
Greece - epidemiology
Holidays
Humans
Linear Models
Longitudinal Studies
Male

Mass Screening
Motor Activity
Obesity - diagnosis; epidemiology; prevention & control
Physical Education and Training - organization & administration
Physical Fitness
Prevalence
Questionnaires
Risk Factors
School Health Services - organization & administration
Time Factors

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