Relationships between standing broad jump, shuttle run and Body Mass Index in children aged three to ei.

AIM

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and performance in standing broad jump and shuttle run in young children and whether this association is similar during the age range studied and in both sexes.

METHODS

A total of 1 197 Finnish children aged three to eight years participated in this cross-sectional study. Height and weight measuring and the standing broad jump (SBJ) and shuttle run tests were used.

RESULTS

The age- and sex-adjusted correlation of BMI with both the SBJ (r=-0.20, P<0.001) and shuttle run test (SHR) (r=0.17, P<0.001) test results was significant. In the three to four-year-olds, children in the middle BMI tertile achieved better results in the SBJ test compared with those in the lowest BMI tertile (P<0.05). Among both 5 to 6- (P<0.01) and seven to eight-year-olds (P<0.001) the children in the highest BMI tertile had weaker SBJ results compared with those in the lowest and middle BMI tertiles. Subjects in the highest BMI tertile achieved lower SHR results than those in the middle BMI tertile in the age groups of five to six-year-old (P<0.05) and seven to eight-year-old children (P<0.001). Among the seven to eigth-year-olds the lowest BMI tertile also had better SHR results than the highest BMI tertile (P<0.001). All the trends were rather similar to boys and girls.

CONCLUSIONS

High proportional body weight was associated with low performances in the standing broad jump and shuttle run tests among the five to eight-year-olds studied.