Health standards in terms of exercise fitness of school children in urban and rural areas in various European countries.

Health standard in terms of maximal aerobic power has been assessed in representative samples of school children in four European countries, with the object of testing the hypothesis that factors associated with the present days urbanization hamper the developmental process. In Norway and Iceland the exercise fitness of urban living children was stronger than that of children living in scarcely populated areas. In West Germany and Czechoslovakia there appeared a tendency in the same direction though the health standard in some ages was similar for urban and rural living children. The conclusion is consequently clear in as much as no evidence was found that supports the widespread concept that urbanization affects the exercise fitness during growth. On the contrary, urban living seems to enhance the developmental process most likely because the urbanized society stimulates children to vigorous play and sport, thus increasing habitual physical activity. Children living in rural environment become socially isolated, adopt sedentary living habits which subsequently hamper the development of functional characteristics. The maximal aerobic power of the boys and girls in these four European countries was similar when compared on basis on where they are living (urban/rural) except for the Norwegian boys who were considerably superior to the others.