Analysis of adiposity and physical fitness in young Colombian students

作者：Palomino Devia Constanza; Manuel Otero Saborido Fernando; Antonio Gonzalez Jurado Jose

来源：Biomedica, 2016, 36(3): 343-353.

DOI：10.7705/biomedica.v36i3.3148

• Body composition
• body mass index
• oxygen consumption
• motor activity
• sex
• age groups

Introduction: Body mass index and physical fitness are important markers of a healthy life style.
Objective: To analyze adiposity and physical fitness in young students from public schools in Armenia, Colombia, and examine differences between sex and age groups.
Materials and methods: We analyzed 1,150 students: 46.6% (n=536) males and 53.4% (n=614) females, with an age range of 10 to 20 years (15.45 +/- 2.52). Physical fitness was evaluated by the Course-Navette test, the Horizontal Jump test, the 20-meter run test and the Sit-and-Reach test. Body mass index and body fat were also assessed.
Results: Compared with males, females had significantly higher adiposity levels, body mass index (20.4 vs. 19.5) and body fat (23% vs. 11%). Males had higher levels of physical fitness in all the variables analyzed, with statistically significant differences (p<0.001), except in flexibility, where females achieved better results (3.1cm vs. 1 3cm; p=0.003). In both sexes, body mass index increased with age (p<0.001). However, body fat decreased with age in males (p<0.001) and increased in females (p<0.001). In males, physical fitness improved with age in all variables. In females, no significant differences were found between age groups except in the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Adiposity was significantly higher in women than in men. Males had a better level of physical fitness than females, except in flexibility. Physical fitness improved significantly with age in males, but did not change in females.

• 出版日期2016-9