Analysis of Three Decade Changes in Physical Fitness Characteristics of Turkish Children Aged Between 11 and 12
Fehime Haslofça1
, Emine Kutlay2, Ercan Haslofça2
1Ege University Faculty of Sports Sciences, Physical Education & Sports Department, İzmir, Turkey
2Ege University Faculty of Sports Sciences, Coaching Education Department, İzmir, Turkey
Keywords: Physical fitness, Eurofit test battery, physical characteristics, children
Abstract
Objectives: In order to examine the changes in physical characteristics and motor abilities of Turkish children aged 11 or 12 years old, data collected in three different periods (1983 to 1985, 1999 to 2003 and the year 2013) were compared in the present study.
Material and Methods: Data for girls (age 11, n=187; age 12, n=181) and boys (age 11, n=435; age 12, n=392) were obtained from Eurofit tests applied between the years 1983 and 1985 in four different cities; between the years 1999 and 2003 in İzmir, and recently in 2013 in İstanbul. Differences concerning similar parameters for the three different periods were compared. The MedCalc statistical program was used for this purpose and t-tests were applied for data comparison.
Results: Data analysis yielded mean increases of 10% for body weight and body mass index (BMI), 40-115% and 55-150% for local skinfold thicknesses in girls and boys, respectively (p<0.05); and decreases of 20-25% in jumping, sprinting abilities, and handgrip strength (p<0.05), as the year 2013 was reached.
Conclusions: In the time course of the given thirty years, in children of both genders, aged 11-12, significant increases in subcutaneous fat tissue, body weight and BMI scores; and significant decreases in hand grip strength, jumping power and speed abilities were determined.
Cite this article as: Haslofca F, Kutlay E, Haslofca E. Analysis of three decade changes in physical fitness characteristics of Turkish children aged between 11 and 12. Turk J Sports Med. 2017;52(4):137-45.
*Bu çalışma; 24-26 Nisan 2014 tarihlerinde KKTC Yakın Doğu Üniversitesinde düzenlenen 2. Uluslararası Çocuk ve Spor Kongresinde sözel bildiri olarak sunulmuştur.
