Association of physical activity level with body composition in 12-14 years old children: A pilot study
Yasemin Güzel
, Muhammed Mustafa Atakan, Hüseyin Hüsrev Turnagöl, Şükran Nazan Koşar
Division of Exercise Nutrition and Metabolism, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
Keywords: Body composition, lean mass, fat mass, physical activity
Abstract
Objective: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents increased dramatically. Reduced regular physical activity (PA) is considered one of the major factors behind this worldwide epidemic and related health problems. This study aimed to determine the association between PA level and body composition components in 12-14 years old girls and boys living in Altındağ district, Ankara.
Materials and methods: A total of 234 boys and 224 girls aged 12-14 years participated in this study. PA level was assessed by the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) and body composition was measured by bioelectric impedance. Two-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc test and Pearson Correlation Coefficient tests were used in data analysis.
Results: Findings of the study showed that children aged 12 years had higher total PA score than aged 13 and 14 years (p<0.05), showing decreased PA level with age. Boys had significantly higher total PA score in all age groups than girls (p<0.05). Girls with healthy weight and overweight showed significantly higher total PA score than girls with obesity. Girls had higher fat mass and body fat percentage than boys in all age groups (p<0.05). Fat mass was inversely associated with total PA score in all age groups (12 years old r=-0.28; p<0.001, 13 years old r=-0.16; p=0.047, 14 years old r=-0.21; p=0.007).
Conclusions: PA participation of children declines with age. Reduced PA level is significantly associated with increased fat mass, indicating the importance of PA in maintaining a healthy weight in this age group.
Cite this article as: Guzel Y, Atakan MM, Turnagol HH, Kosar SN. Association of physical activity level with body composition in 12-14 years old children: A pilot study. Turk J Sports Med. 2022, 57(2):60-6; https://doi.org/10.47447/tjsm.0616
The approval for this study was obtained from EClinical Research Ethics Board of Hacettepe University (Approval number: 2021/07-26, Date: 30.03.2021).
Concept: HHT, ŞNK; Design: YG, ŞNK; Supervision: HHT, ŞNK; Materials: YG, ŞNK; Data Collection and/or Processing: YG, MMA, HHT, ŞNK; Analysis and Interpretation: YG, MMA, ŞNK; Literature Review: YG, MMA; Writing Manuscript: YG, MMA, ŞNK; Critical Reviews: YG, MMA, HHT, ŞNK.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to authorship and/or publication of the article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or publication of this article.
