Smith D, Adams L, du Randt R, Degen J, Gall S, Joubert N, Müller I, Nqweniso S, Pühse U, Steinmann P, Utzinger J, Walter C, Gerber M
Department of Human Movement Science, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
S Afr J Sports Med. 2020 Jan 1;32(1):v32i1a8158. doi: 10.17159/2078-516X/2020/v32i1a8158. eCollection 2020.
Information about the relationships between physical fitness, body composition and nutrition has increased in recent years; however, little is known about physical fitness and the coexistence of under-/overnutrition among children living in disadvantaged areas.
To determine the physical fitness status and its association with body composition, growth and selected socio-demographics in primary schoolchildren from disadvantaged communities in the Nelson Mandela Bay region.
Nine hundred and sixty-five children (49% girls, M=9.5 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. Height and weight were measured to establish body mass index, and height-for-age z-scores. Physical fitness was assessed using tests from the Eurofit Physical Fitness test battery (flexibility, upper/lower body muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness). Between-group differences and cross-sectional associations were examined with univariate (Chi-tests, analyses of variance) and multivariate methods (mixed linear/logistic regression).
Most children had normal weight (76.7%), while 4.5% were underweight and 18.7% were overweight/obese. Underweight children and children with stunted growth (11.5%) had lower average upper body strength (p<0.001). Overweight/obese children had lower scores in weight-bearing activities (p<0.001). Children with higher socio-economic status were more likely to be overweight and obese (p<0.001). In the multivariate analyses, sex, age, body mass index, and stunting were associated with children's physical fitness.
Fitness assessments seem to be a relevant measure of the current health status of children in disadvantaged settings. Compared to international norms, the children in this study had relatively low scores for both upper- and lower body muscular strength. Therefore, effective school-based intervention programmes should be developed to improve children's physical fitness in disadvantaged schools.
近年来，关于身体健康、身体成分与营养之间关系的信息有所增加；然而，对于生活在贫困地区儿童的身体健康以及营养不良/营养过剩共存情况却知之甚少。
确定纳尔逊·曼德拉湾地区贫困社区小学生的身体健康状况及其与身体成分、生长发育和选定社会人口统计学因素的关联。
965名儿童（49%为女孩，平均年龄9.5岁）参与了这项横断面研究。测量身高和体重以确定体重指数和年龄别身高Z评分。使用欧洲体适能测试组合（柔韧性、上/下肢肌肉力量和心肺适能）中的测试评估身体健康状况。采用单变量（卡方检验、方差分析）和多变量方法（混合线性/逻辑回归）检验组间差异和横断面关联。
大多数儿童体重正常（76.7%），而4.5%体重不足，18.7%超重/肥胖。体重不足的儿童和发育迟缓的儿童（11.5%）平均上肢力量较低（p<0.001）。超重/肥胖儿童在负重活动中的得分较低（p<0.001）。社会经济地位较高的儿童超重和肥胖的可能性更大（p<0.001）。在多变量分析中，性别、年龄、体重指数和发育迟缓与儿童的身体健康状况相关。
体能评估似乎是衡量贫困地区儿童当前健康状况的一项相关指标。与国际标准相比，本研究中的儿童在上肢和下肢肌肉力量方面得分相对较低。因此，应制定有效的校本干预计划，以改善贫困学校儿童的身体健康状况。
