Body fat, muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness according to sexual maturation among Brazilian adolescents from a town of German colonization.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the health-related physical fitness according to stages of sexual maturation in Brazilian adolescents (10 to 17 years-old) living in a small town of German colonization.

METHODS

This study was based on a broader project, a school-based cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted with adolescents from public schools (141 males and 129 females) in São Bonifácio, Southern Brazil. The Fitnessgram® battery of tests was applied (body fat percentage, back-saver sit and reach test, curl-up and modified pull-up tests and 20m shuttle run test). Sexual maturation was self-assessed through stages of pubic hair development, being classified from P1 to P5. Results were analyzed by one-way variance analysis, Bonferroni post hoc and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

RESULTS

In boys, body fat percentage was 11.4% higher in the P1 stage (p=0.04) and 10.2% higher in the P3 stage (p=0.01), compared to P5. The differences between maturational stages occurred in flexibility (5.1cm increase; p=0.03), curl-up (p=0.04), and pull-up tests (p<0.01) from stages P2 to P5. For girls, the mean VO2max values ​​were lower for those at the final maturation stages (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The differences between stages of sexual maturation were observed in body fat percentage and muscle fitness for males and cardiorespiratory fitness for females. Effective measures to promote physical fitness should be addressed at early maturation stages for boys and for more mature girls.