Changes in physical fitness and body composition according to the physical activities of Korean adolescents

Assessment of physical activity among adolescents: a guide to the literature

Purpose

The aim of this article is to systematically review articles and annual reports concerning young peoples' physical activity (PA) and linking this to considerations of the state and national defense.

Method

A systematic search of the literature included an analysis of publications accessible in global databases and other available books, student papers, and projects. The articles and reports were categorized based on year of publication, methods used, age of respondents, sample size, country, and digital object identifier (DOI).

Results

The result of this search is an overview of the extent and manner in which the worldwide scientific community is addressing the current situation and the long-term development of the physical fitness of adolescents. This publication also maps to what extent professional publications and articles are addressing PA from the perspective of the needs of armies and armed forces of various countries around the world.

Conclusions

The article provides a systematic overview of methods used to measure PA, and an overview of articles dealing with assessing PA. The examined articles indicate that from the perspective of not only national defense, but also health and overall quality of life, in particular, we need initiatives to encourage and motivate young people to increase their everyday PA. The research therefore also includes an overview of factors that may considerably influence PA. The results ascertained in this publication will be used, i.a. for investigating a longitudinal defense research project of the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic in which the authors are participating.

Association between BMI and health-related physical fitness: A cross-sectional study in Chinese high school students

Background

Existing studies reporting on the levels of physical fitness among high school students use relatively few fitness tests for indicators of physical fitness, thus, incomprehensively evaluating the levels of physical fitness. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and physical fitness index (PFI) by investigating five physical fitness indicators and calculating PHI.

Method

Anthropometric measurements and indicators from five measures of physical fitness (50-m sprint, sit and reach, standing long jump, 800/1,000-m run, pull-up/bent-leg sit-up) were assessed. BMI was calculated to classify individuals into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese categories. Z-scores based on sex-specific mean and standard deviation were calculated, and the sum of Z-scores from the six fitness tests indicated the PFI. The findings were fitted to a linear regression model to elucidate the potential relationship between BMI and PFI.

Results

In total, 176,655 high school students (male: 88,243, female: 88,412, age: 17.1 ± 1.05 years, height: 168.87 ± 11.1 cm, weight: 62.54 ± 15.15 kg) in Jinan, China, completed the physical fitness tests between 2020 and 2021. The one-way ANOVA models showed that PFI in the normal category was significantly higher as compared to all the other BMI categories within both male and female groups (p < 0.001), and PFI in the obese category was significantly lower as compared to all the other BMI categories for both male and female groups (p < 0.001). The association between PFI and BMI showed an inverted U-shape relationship.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that BMI affects the PFI in both males and females. As compared to the obese and overweight categories based on BMI, significantly higher scores of PFI were observed for males and females.

Study on the Relationship Between Diet, Physical Health and Gut Microflora of Chinese College Students

Many elements of a modern lifestyle influence the gut microbiota but few studies have explored the effect of physical health level. This study was aimed to explore the relationship between diet, physical health and gut microbiota in Chinese college students. A total of 69 college students were recruited, including 27 college athletes (AS group) and 42 healthy controls (HC group). Fecal samples were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing. According to National Standards for Students' Physical Health (2014 revision), physical fitness measurements, dietary intake and health-related data were collected via questionnaires. ①According to the physical fitness scores, the physical fitness level of AS group was significantly higher than that of HC group (P < 0.05), there were no significant differences between the two groups in the frequency of intake of food. The frequency and duration of physical activity in the AS group were higher than those in the HC group (P < 0.05); ②The proportion and relative abundances of microorganism composition is varying at two groups: on the phylum level, AS group had mainly increased Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and reduced Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria; on the genus level, AS group had mainly increased Faecalibacterium, Bifidobacterium and reduced Bacteroides; ③The associations with the 10 most abundant bacterial genera and physical fitness, dietary factors were investigated. Changes in the gut microbiota abundance can be sometimes reflective of a physical health status. Loss of the balance of gut microbial populations will lead to flora disorders and diseases. Therefore, further studies are needed to reveal the mechanisms behind the gut microbiota in its potential role.

Effect of baseline physical activity on the fat gain of adolescents in a 5-year cohort study in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam

Differences in physical activity (PA) might lead to long-term weight control. Studies on inverse relations between PA and changes in fatness among adolescents are limited. This paper examined the effect of PA on adolescents' changing body fatness over 5 years in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Two hundred thirty-five boys and 247 girls who have had skinfold thickness measurements in the baseline survey in 2004 were selected to follow yearly. We estimated PA as the average number of accelerometers' counts/h. Slopes of triceps, sub-scapular skinfolds and BMI were calculated and classified as increasing or stable/decreasing. To assess the effects of the low level of activity (i.e. below the median of the average number of counts) on the fat gain (i.e. increasing slopes), relative risk and 95 % CI were estimated using Poisson regression. The average number of counts/h in boys (7·8) was significantly higher than that in girls (5·0) (P < 0·001). On average, active girls still gained 0·51 mm in triceps skinfold (TSF) over 5 years, while active boys lost 0·12 mm. After controlling for baseline energy intake, baseline triceps and baseline age, inactive adolescents were 1·39 times higher than active ones to increase the slope of triceps (95 % CI 1·19, 1·63). The risk ratio was 1·62 for those with more body fat at baseline. In general, inactive students gained substantially more subcutaneous fat, especially in their TSF, than more active ones. Thus, strategies to prevent adolescent obesity in HCMC should consider the important role of PA to control this problem in adolescents effectively.

Identification of Smartwatch-Collected Lifelog Variables Affecting Body Mass Index in Middle-Aged People Using Regression Machine Learning Algorithms and SHapley Additive Explanations

Body mass index (BMI) plays a vital role in determining the health of middle-aged people, and a high BMI is associated with various chronic diseases. This study aims to identify important lifelog factors related to BMI. The sleep, gait, and body data of 47 middle-aged women and 71 middle-aged men were collected using smartwatches. Variables were derived to examine the relationships between these factors and BMI. The data were divided into groups according to height based on the definition of BMI as the most influential variable. The data were analyzed using regression and tree-based models: Ridge Regression, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Category Boosting (CatBoost). Moreover, the importance of the BMI variables was visualized and examined using the SHapley Additive Explanations Technique (SHAP). The results showed that total sleep time, average morning gait speed, and sleep efficiency significantly affected BMI. However, the variables with the most substantial effects differed among the height groups. This indicates that the factors most profoundly affecting BMI differ according to body characteristics, suggesting the possibility of developing efficient methods for personalized healthcare.

Differences in Physical Fitness and Body Composition Between Active and Sedentary Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Previous research analyzing the differences in physical fitness and body composition between active and sedentary adolescents aged 12-16 has not provided conclusive results. For this reason, a systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to provide an overview of the results obtained to date. The objectives of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to investigate the differences in the physical fitness and body composition of adolescents who engaged in daily physical activity and those who were inactive. A search in PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Sciences databases was performed. A total of 13,884 articles were reviewed and 11 were included in the meta-analysis. In the physical fitness performance, significantly higher values in cardiorespiratory fitness, hamstring and lower back flexibility, sit-ups and upper limb resistance were found in active compared to the inactive participants. In body composition, the inactive group showed significantly higher values in variables related to body fat, mainly in body fat percentage, fat mass and fat mass index compared to the active group. The results revealed that maintaining an active lifestyle through physical activity is a determining factor in improving the physical fitness and body composition of adolescents aged 12-16 years. The study design of the systematic review was previously registered in PROSPERO with code CRD42021241975. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=241975 .

Long-term trends in the somatic and motor characteristics of female students at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland (2000-2018)

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe changes in the anthropometric and motor characteristics of female students attending the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn between 2000 and 2018.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 4046 randomly selected female university students aged 19-21 years (20.1 ± 1.2) were investigated. The students' body mass and height were measured, and their motor abilities were analyzed in 13 tests. Linear and curvilinear functions were fit to empirical data to assess the evaluated traits.

RESULTS

The results of the long-term study indicate that the body height of female students increased by 3.07 cm between 2000 and 2018. A decrease in the participants' body mass and BMI was noted between 2000 and 2006 (by 0.24 kg and 0.18 kg/m² per year on average), whereas an increase was observed between 2006 and 2018 (by 0.34 kg and 0.10 kg/m² per year on average). The tested motor abilities were highly correlated with body mass, BMI and, partially, with body height. The students' motor abilities continued to improve until 2006, after which they declined steadily up to 2018 when the lowest results were noted in motor tests.

CONCLUSIONS

The body height of the studied population continued to increase over the years, but it increased at a slower rate than body mass and BMI. Lower body mass and BMI values were correlated with improved scores in motor tests, whereas higher values of both parameters were accompanied by a significant decrease in all analyzed motor abilities.

Bone Mineral Density in Adolescent Boys: Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Physical inactivity of children can be a precursor of reduced bone mineral density, considered to be a typical problem only in old age. The aim of this study was to evaluate bone mineral density in 96 Polish boys aged 14–17 years with varied physical activity (swimmers, track and field athletes, non-athletes) and the effect of bone composition, birth weight and breastfeeding during infancy on bone parameters. Anthropometric and body composition measurements were performed according to the kinanthropometric standards. Bone parameters of the forearm were measured by means of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Data on the infant’s birth weight and the length of breastfeeding were collected during direct interviews with mothers. The strongest links with bone parameters were found for the type of physical activity and birth weight. Regardless of birth weight, track and field athletes had the most advantageous bone parameters (mainly sT-score prox values). Swimmers with normal or low birth weight had less favourable sT-score prox values than non-athletes. The type of physical activity proved to be an important determinant of bone parameters. Childhood and adolescence are important periods of bone development and increasing the content of bone mineral components, and the bone status in later years of life depends to a large extent on this period. The perinatal period, especially the correct birth weight of the child, not only has a significant effect on general health, but also on bone status.

Secular changes in the anthropometric and motor characteristics of Polish male university students between 2000 and 2018

Objectives

To determine changes in the anthropometric and motor characteristics of young males during the first 20 years of the 21st century in Poland.

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted in 2000–2018 on 2691 randomly selected male university students aged 19÷25 (20.0 ± 1.1 years). The participants' body mass and height were measured, and the students participated in 13 motor ability tests. The analyzed traits were evaluated by testing the fit of linear and curvilinear functions to empirical data.

Results

The students evaluated in 2018 were 1.7 cm taller than their peers tested in 2000. Body mass and BMI values continued to decrease between 2000 and 2006 (by 0.46 kg and 0.15 kg/m² per year on average), whereas a steady and significant increase in both parameters was observed between 2006 and 2018 (by 0.45 kg and 0.12 kg/m² per year on average). The results of motor tests were strongly correlated with body mass and BMI, and they continued to improve until 2006, after which a steady decline was observed up to 2018 when the students scored lowest in motor tests.

Conclusions

The trend of increasing body height has been maintained in the studied population, but unlike body mass and BMI, the rate of increase in body height was lower than in the preceding years. A decrease in body mass and BMI is correlated with an improvement in motor tests, whereas an increase in the above parameters leads to a significant decline in all evaluated motor abilities.

The association between BMI and health-related physical fitness among Chinese college students: a cross-sectional study

Background

Existing studies reporting on the levels of physical fitness among college students used relatively few fitness tests as a reflection of physical fitness, which could not comprehensively evaluate the levels of physical fitness. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional relationship between body mass index (BMI) and a physical fitness index (PFI) based on six indicators of fitness in Chinese college students.

Method

Anthropometric measurements and six measures of physical fitness (Vital capacity, 50-m sprint, sit and reach, standing long jump, 800/1000-m run, pull-up/bent-leg sit-up) were measured. BMI was calculated to classify individuals into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity groups. Z-scores based on sex-specific mean and standard deviation were calculated, and the sum of z-scores for the six fitness tests was used as a PFI. Three models (a linear regression model, polynomial regression model with a second-order BMI term and a restricted cubic spline regression model) were fitted to discuss the potential relation between BMI and PFI. We compared the models using Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and R square.

Results

Totally, 8548 freshmen from the years 2014 to 2016 in a medical college completed the physical fitness tests. There was a decreasing trend of physical fitness index from the years 2014 to 2016 (P for trend < 0.01). More male than female students were overweight or obese (23.5% vs. 11.9%), but more female than male students were normal weight (74.7% vs. 64.8%). A restricted cubic spline regression model was superior to linear and polynomial regression model with lower AIC and higher R square.

Conclusions

The relationships between BMI and PFI in college students were non-linear. Underweight, overweight and obese students had poorer performance in physical fitness index than normal weight students. Future prospective, longitudinal cohort studies to identify the causal relations and potential mechanism in a good manner are required.

Anthropometric Obesity Indices, Body Fat Percentage, and Grip Strength in Young Adults with different Physical Activity Levels

The purposes of this study were to determine whether moderately physically active (MPA) and highly physically active (HPA) male (n = 96, age = 22.5 ± 1.7 years) and female (n = 85, age = 21.3 ± 1.6 years) young adults differed in their anthropometric obesity indices (AOIs), body fat percentage (BF%), and muscular strength, and also to examine the associations between physical activity level (PAL) and the abovementioned variables. Participants were measured for body height and weight, BF%, waist and hip circumferences, and maximal isometric grip strength. According to their PAL, estimated by the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, they were assigned to MPA and HPA subgroups. Regardless of gender, results indicated that participants in the MPA groups had significantly higher values of body weight, waist and hip circumference, BF%, and BMI than participants in the HPA groups. No significant differences were found between physical activity groups in terms of grip strength. The AOIs and BF% were found to be significantly and negatively correlated with the PAL in both genders. In conclusion, the findings of the study suggest that high habitual physical activity is associated with lower adiposity markers. However, the differences in the hand grip strength of the contrasting activity groups were negligible.

Nutritional condition analysis of the older adult patients with femoral neck fracture

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Many factors can contribute to the fracture of femoral neck, nutritional condition appears play a key role. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between nutritional condition and femoral neck fracture in an elderly population.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out among patients aged 55 years old or older, with or without femoral neck fracture. The study sample included 82 newly femoral neck fractured hospitalized patients as experimental group and 106 non-fracture out-patients as control group. Prealbumin, albumin and hemoglobin were evaluated in both femoral neck fracture group and control group. Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer (BIA) were used to analyze the body composition. Appendicular Lean Mass (aLM) and Fat Mass (FM) were analyzed in different age grade, Percentage of Body Fat (PBF) was analyzed according to Body Mass Index (BMI) level.

RESULTS

Eight-two (male 29, female 53) patients older than 55 years old with femoral neck fracture and 106 (male 43, female 63) orthopaedic out-patients were included in this study. Albumin, prealbumin and hemoglobin in the femoral neck fracture group are significantly lower than the control group. According to the criteria for the Asia Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS), the prevalence of sarcopenia in femoral neck fracture group is much higher than in the control group. As for the FM analysis, although the fat mass index in the control group is higher than that in femoral neck fracture group, we did not find any differences in terms of PBF analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Malnutrition contributes to the development of femoral neck fracture, according to the BIA analysis, aLM, rather than FM is a protection factor for the older people to get rid of femoral neck fracture.

Viscus fat area contributes to the Framingham 10-year general cardiovascular disease risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVE

To explore the correlation of the viscus fat area (VFA) with the Framingham 10-year general cardiovascular disease risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

A total of 202 patients with T2DM were divided into two groups based on VFA (a VFA ≥ 100 cm² group and a VFA < 100 cm² group), or four groups based on sex and age (a middle-aged male group, an elderly male group, a middle-aged female group, and an elderly female group). The correlation between the Framingham 10-year general cardiovascular disease risk and body fat indexes was analyzed.

RESULTS

Patients in the VFA ≥ 100 cm² group had higher body fat indexes and Framingham Risk Scores (FRSs) and lower levels of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) when compared to the VFA < 100 cm² group (P < 0.05). Female patients had higher body fat mass (BFM) and body fat percentage (BFP) levels and a lower VFA when compared to male patients. The VFA was significantly higher in the elderly than in the middle-aged patients. The waist hip fat ratio (WHFR) was significantly higher in elderly females than in elderly males (P < 0.05). Elderly females had the highest FRS of all patients. Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed the VFA as a contributor to the Framingham 10-year general cardiovascular disease risk after statistical correction for other multiple factors affecting cardiovascular disease risk.

CONCLUSION

The VFA is an independent factor that contributes to the Framingham 10-year general cardiovascular disease risk in patients with T2DM.