Health-Related Physical Fitness in Adolescents from Spain, Estonia and Iceland: A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative Study
The benefits of physical fitness (PF) for health are well-known. Low PF significantly contributes to the prevalence of obesity in adolescents, with an increased risk of developing chronic diseases. The objectives of the present study were to explore the health-related PF components and body composit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Sports |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/10/12/188 |
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| author | Pablo Galan-Lopez Thordis Gísladóttir Maret Pihu Antonio J. Sánchez-Oliver Francis Ries Raúl Domínguez |
| author_facet | Pablo Galan-Lopez Thordis Gísladóttir Maret Pihu Antonio J. Sánchez-Oliver Francis Ries Raúl Domínguez |
| author_sort | Pablo Galan-Lopez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The benefits of physical fitness (PF) for health are well-known. Low PF significantly contributes to the prevalence of obesity in adolescents, with an increased risk of developing chronic diseases. The objectives of the present study were to explore the health-related PF components and body composition levels in adolescents in three European cities, and their differences. The present study is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative research effort with 1717 participants aged between 13–16 years (48% girls), enrolled in public and private secondary schools in Seville (Spain), Reykjavik (Iceland) and Tartu (Estonia). The ALPHA fitness battery test was used with the following tests: handgrip strength, standing broad jump, 4 × 10 m speed-agility, 20 m shuttle run, and anthropometric variables. Regarding body composition, differences were detected for city and gender in height (<i>p</i> < 0.001), weight (<i>p</i> < 0.001), body fat percentage (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and waist circumference (<i>p</i> < 0.001); but no differences were reported for BMI for both city (<i>p</i> = 0.150) and gender (<i>p</i> = 0.738). Similarly, concerning PF, it was detected statistically significant differences between cities and gender in handgrip strength (<i>p</i> < 0.001), jump test (<i>p</i> < 0.001), speed-agility test (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and cardiovascular endurance in both variables (<i>p</i> < 0.001). In total, 26.8% of the boys and 27.3% of the girls were categorized as overweight; 18.1% of the boys and 31.2% of the girls had an excessive percentage of fat mass; and 22.7% of the boys and 22.2% of the girls showed an excessive waist circumference. The participants from Seville presented the lowest results in PF tests. In contrast, Reykjavik, with the highest results in the endurance and speed-agility tests, and Tartu, with higher results in the manual grip strength and long jump tests, shared the highest results. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:50:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1413192ac0994f90ab49c69a9d88bbda |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4663 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:50:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Sports |
| spelling | doaj.art-1413192ac0994f90ab49c69a9d88bbda2023-11-24T18:03:56ZengMDPI AGSports2075-46632022-11-01101218810.3390/sports10120188Health-Related Physical Fitness in Adolescents from Spain, Estonia and Iceland: A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative StudyPablo Galan-Lopez0Thordis Gísladóttir1Maret Pihu2Antonio J. Sánchez-Oliver3Francis Ries4Raúl Domínguez5Department of Communication and Education, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Dos Hermanas, Sevilla, SpainResearch Center for Sport and Health Sciences, School of Education, University of Iceland, 105 Reykjavík, IcelandInstitute of Sport Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 51005 Tartu, EstoniaDepartamento de Motricidad Humana y Rendimiento Deportivo, Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Sevilla, Sevilla, SpainPhysical Education and Sports, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Seville, 41013 Sevilla, Sevilla, SpainDepartamento de Motricidad Humana y Rendimiento Deportivo, Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Sevilla, Sevilla, SpainThe benefits of physical fitness (PF) for health are well-known. Low PF significantly contributes to the prevalence of obesity in adolescents, with an increased risk of developing chronic diseases. The objectives of the present study were to explore the health-related PF components and body composition levels in adolescents in three European cities, and their differences. The present study is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative research effort with 1717 participants aged between 13–16 years (48% girls), enrolled in public and private secondary schools in Seville (Spain), Reykjavik (Iceland) and Tartu (Estonia). The ALPHA fitness battery test was used with the following tests: handgrip strength, standing broad jump, 4 × 10 m speed-agility, 20 m shuttle run, and anthropometric variables. Regarding body composition, differences were detected for city and gender in height (<i>p</i> < 0.001), weight (<i>p</i> < 0.001), body fat percentage (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and waist circumference (<i>p</i> < 0.001); but no differences were reported for BMI for both city (<i>p</i> = 0.150) and gender (<i>p</i> = 0.738). Similarly, concerning PF, it was detected statistically significant differences between cities and gender in handgrip strength (<i>p</i> < 0.001), jump test (<i>p</i> < 0.001), speed-agility test (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and cardiovascular endurance in both variables (<i>p</i> < 0.001). In total, 26.8% of the boys and 27.3% of the girls were categorized as overweight; 18.1% of the boys and 31.2% of the girls had an excessive percentage of fat mass; and 22.7% of the boys and 22.2% of the girls showed an excessive waist circumference. The participants from Seville presented the lowest results in PF tests. In contrast, Reykjavik, with the highest results in the endurance and speed-agility tests, and Tartu, with higher results in the manual grip strength and long jump tests, shared the highest results.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/10/12/188adolescencehabitslifestyleoverweightphysical inactivitysedentary |
| spellingShingle | Pablo Galan-Lopez Thordis Gísladóttir Maret Pihu Antonio J. Sánchez-Oliver Francis Ries Raúl Domínguez Health-Related Physical Fitness in Adolescents from Spain, Estonia and Iceland: A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative Study Sports adolescence habits lifestyle overweight physical inactivity sedentary |
| title | Health-Related Physical Fitness in Adolescents from Spain, Estonia and Iceland: A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative Study |
| title_full | Health-Related Physical Fitness in Adolescents from Spain, Estonia and Iceland: A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative Study |
| title_fullStr | Health-Related Physical Fitness in Adolescents from Spain, Estonia and Iceland: A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health-Related Physical Fitness in Adolescents from Spain, Estonia and Iceland: A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative Study |
| title_short | Health-Related Physical Fitness in Adolescents from Spain, Estonia and Iceland: A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative Study |
| title_sort | health related physical fitness in adolescents from spain estonia and iceland a cross sectional quantitative study |
| topic | adolescence habits lifestyle overweight physical inactivity sedentary |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/10/12/188 |
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