Relationships between overweight, obesity and physical fitness of nine- 12-year-old South African children

Abstract

Background: South African children show the same tendencies in overweight and obesity to that of children in developed countries a decade ago. Childhood overweight is associated with chronic diseases, early mortality in adulthood and psycho-social effects with lifelong consequences. This study aims to determine relationships between overweight, obesity and physical fitness of 10-12 year old South African children.

Methods: Anthropometric (BMI, fat percentage) and physical fitness (cardiovascular endurance, body composition, muscle strength and endurance, flexibility) measurements were obtained from 280 children, aged 10-12 (128 boys, 152 girls) using the FITNESGRAMM and Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-II. International cut-off points were used to categorize the children in normal weight, overweight or obese categories. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman rank order correlation and Variance of Analysis.

Results: One in five children were overweight or obese, while girls were twice more likely to be obese. Aerobic capacity and muscle strength, especially leg strength, decreased progressively with an increase in BMI. A progressive but non significant decline was found in muscle endurance with increasing BMI while flexibility showed the poorest relationships with various degrees of weight. Variance of Analysis indicated significant relationships between body-mass index, cardiovascular endurance and strength (p < 0.05), while different relationships were found when gender was taken into consideration.

Conclusions: Health enhancing physical fitness of young children living in South Africa is negatively affected by overweight and obesity and intervention strategies are recommended to improve the quality of life of such children but also to prevent early mortality during adulthood.