This review aims to summarize the latest developments with regard to physical fitness and several health outcomes in young people. The literature reviewed suggests that (1) cardiorespiratory fitness levels are associated with total and abdominal adiposity; (2) both cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness are shown to be associated with established and emerging cardiovascular disease risk factors; (3) improvements in muscular fitness and speed/agility, rather than cardiorespiratory fitness, seem to have a positive effect on skeletal health; (4) both cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness enhancements are recommended in pediatric cancer patients/survivors in order to attenuate fatigue and improve their quality of life; and (5) improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness have positive effects on depression, anxiety, mood status and self-esteem, and seem also to be associated with a higher academic performance. In conclusion, health promotion policies and physical activity programs should be designed to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, but also two other physical fitness components such us muscular fitness and speed/agility. Schools may play an important role by identifying children with low physical fitness and by promoting positive health behaviors such as encouraging children to be active, with special emphasis on the intensity of the activity.

Physical fitness in childhood and adolescence: a powerful marker of health

ContextSome observational studies have found an association between television
viewing and child and adolescent adiposity.ObjectiveTo assess the effects of reducing television, videotape, and video game
use on changes in adiposity, physical activity, and dietary intake.DesignRandomized controlled school-based trial conducted from September 1996
to April 1997.SettingTwo sociodemographically and scholastically matched public elementary
schools in San Jose, Calif.ParticipantsOf 198 third- and fourth-grade students, who were given parental consent
to participate, 192 students (mean age, 8.9 years) completed the study.InterventionChildren in 1 elementary school received an 18-lesson, 6-month classroom
curriculum to reduce television, videotape, and video game use.Main Outcome MeasuresChanges in measures of height, weight, triceps skinfold thickness, waist
and hip circumferences, and cardiorespiratory fitness; self-reported media
use, physical activity, and dietary behaviors; and parental report of child
and family behaviors. The primary outcome measure was body mass index, calculated
as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.ResultsCompared with controls, children in the intervention group had statistically
significant relative decreases in body mass index (intervention vs control
change: 18.38 to 18.67 kg/m2 vs 18.10 to 18.81 kg/m2,
respectively; adjusted difference −0.45 kg/m2 [95% confidence
interval {CI}, −0.73 to −0.17]; P=.002),
triceps skinfold thickness (intervention vs control change: 14.55 to 15.47
mm vs 13.97 to 16.46 mm, respectively; adjusted difference, −1.47 mm
[95% CI, −2.41 to −0.54]; P=.002), waist
circumference (intervention vs control change: 60.48 to 63.57 cm vs 59.51
to 64.73 cm, respectively; adjusted difference, −2.30 cm [95% CI, −3.27
to −1.33]; P<.001), and waist-to-hip ratio
(intervention vs control change: 0.83 to 0.83 vs 0.82 to 0.84, respectively;
adjusted difference, −0.02 [95% CI, −0.03 to −0.01]; P<.001). Relative to controls, intervention group changes
were accompanied by statistically significant decreases in children's reported
television viewing and meals eaten in front of the television. There were
no statistically significant differences between groups for changes in high-fat
food intake, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and cardiorespiratory
fitness.ConclusionsReducing television, videotape, and video game use may be a promising,
population-based approach to prevent childhood obesity.

/pdf/reducing-children-s-television-viewing-to-prevent-obesity-a-4dr2e2kxkw.pdf

Reducing Children's Television Viewing to Prevent Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The requirements for soccer play are multifactorial and distinguishing characteristics of elite players can be investigated using multivariate analysis. The aim of the present study was to apply a comprehensive test battery to young players with a view to distinguishing between elite and sub-elite groups on the basis of performance on test items. Thirty-one (16 elite, 15 sub-elite) young players matched for chronological age (15-16 years) and body size were studied. Test items included anthropometric ( n = 15), physiological ( n = 8), psychological ( n = 3) and soccer-specific skills ( n = 2) tests. Variables were split into separate groups according to somatotype, body composition, body size, speed, endurance, performance measures, technical skill, anticipation, anxiety and task and ego orientation for purposes of univariate and multivariate analysis of variance and stepwise discriminant function analysis.The most discriminating of the measures were agility, sprint time, ego orientation and anticipation ...

A multidisciplinary approach to talent identification in soccer.

When running indoors on a treadmill, the lack of air resistance results in a lower energy cost compared with running outdoors at the same velocity. A slight incline of the treadmill gradient can be used to increase the energy cost in compensation. The aim of this study was to determine the treadmill gradient that most accurately reflects the energy cost of outdoor running. Nine trained male runners, thoroughly habituated to treadmill running, ran for 6 min at six different velocities (2.92, 3.33, 3.75, 4.17, 4.58 and 5.0 m s‐1) with 6 min recovery between runs. This routine was repeated six times, five times on a treadmill set at different grades (0%, 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%) and once outdoors along a level road. Duplicate collections of expired air were taken during the final 2 min of each run to determine oxygen consumption. The repeatability of the methodology was confirmed by high correlations (r = 0.99) and non‐significant differences between the duplicate expired air collections and between the repeated runs...

A 1% treadmill grade most accurately reflects the energetic cost of outdoor running

velocity of submaximal running, and is determined by measuring the steady-state consumption of oxygen ( ˙ VO2) and the respiratory exchange ratio. Taking body mass (BM) into consideration, runners with good RE use less energy and therefore less oxygen than runners with poor RE at the same velocity. There is a strong association between RE and distance running performance, with RE being a better predictor of performance than maximal oxygen uptake ( ˙ VO2max) in elite runners

/pdf/factors-affecting-running-economy-in-trained-distance-hjc0td1cv3.pdf

Factors Affecting Running Economy in Trained Distance Runners

A maximal multistage 20 m shuttle run test was designed to determine the maximal aerobic power of schoolchildren, healthy adults attending fitness class and athletes performing in sports with frequent stops and starts (e.g. basketball, fencing and so on). Subjects run back and forth on a 20 m course and must touch the 20 m line; at the same time a sound signal is emitted from a prerecorded tape. Frequency of the sound signals is increased 0.5 km h‐1 each minute from a starting speed of 8.5 km h‐1. When the subject can no longer follow the pace, the last stage number announced is used to predict maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) (Y, ml kg‐1 min‐1) from the speed (X, km h‐1) corresponding to that stage (speed = 8 + 0.5 stage no.) and age (A, year): Y=31.025 + 3.238 X ‐ 3.248A + 0.1536.AX, r = 0.71 with 188 boys and girls aged 8–19 years. To obtain this regression, the test was performed individually. Right upon termination VO2 was measured with four 20 s samples and VO2max was estimated by retroextrap...

The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness

The gross energy cost of treadmill and track running is re-investigated from data published in the literature. An average equation, weighted for the number of subjects in each study, was found: VO2 (ml/kg/min) = 2.209 + 3.163 speed (km/h) for 130 subjects (trained and untrained males and females) and 10 treadmill studies. On the track, wind resistance as predicted by Pugh (1970) was added to the treadmill cost of running and yielded the following equation for adults of average weight and height: VO2 = 2.209 + 3.163 speed + 0.000525542 speed3. Between 8 and 25 km/h, the following linear equation: VO2 = 3.5 speed (or met = km/h) was very close to the cubic equation. This linear equation for track running is, however, different from the treadmill linear equation, particularly for speeds over 15 km/h. This equation is also slightly different from the one published by Pugh (1970) for track running from 7 trained subjects only.

D Mercier

Papers

The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness

Gross energy cost of horizontal treadmill and track running.

11: relative efficiency and predicted vo2 max in children

Validité de l'analyseur de lactate portatif Accusport™