Association between physical condition and weight status in primary school students

Evidence indicates that physical fitness is a biomarker of health from early childhood and a strong predictor of health and healthy habits throughout life. Objective: The objective of this study was to know the level of physical fitness in schoolchildren from 6 12 years old depending on sex and Primary Education (PE) cycles. A secondary objective was to establish whether or not exist an association between physical condition and body mass index (BMI). Methods: 379 PE students (172 girls) aged 6 to 12 years participated this descriptive-cross-sectional study in Andalusia. The tests performed were: 25 m speed, 20-m shuttle run test (cardiorespiratory capacity) and horizontal jump (lower limb strength). Results: Significant differences by sex were observed: boys showed better performance in the cardiorespiratory fitness test (p<0.05) and speed (p<0.001) with respect to girls. In addition, significant sex differences were found in the PE cycles. Conclusions: Boys show better levels of physical fitness compared to girls in all the variables analyzed. Furthermore, the association between physical condition and BMI shows that better physical fitness positively correlates with a lower BMI, corroborating the importance of physical condition from the early stages as a biomarker of health and prevention of childhood obesity.