SALLIS, J. F., J. J. PROCHASKA, and W. C. TAYLOR. A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 32, No. 5, pp. 963‐975, 2000. Background: Understanding the factors that influence physical activity can aid the design of more effective interventions. Previous reviews of correlates of youth physical activity have produced conflicting results. Methods: A comprehensive review of correlates of physical activity was conducted, and semiquantitative results were summarized separately for children (ages 3‐12) and adolescents (ages 13‐18). The 108 studies evaluated 40 variables for children and 48 variables for adolescents. Results: About 60% of all reported associations with physical activity were statistically significant. Variables that were consistently associated with children’s physical activity were sex (male), parental overweight status, physical activity preferences, intention to be active, perceived barriers (inverse), previous physical activity, healthy diet, program/facility access, and time spent outdoors. Variables that were consistently associated with adolescents’ physical activity were sex (male), ethnicity (white), age (inverse), perceived activity competence, intentions, depression (inverse), previous physical activity, community sports, sensation seeking, sedentary after school and on weekends (inverse), parent support, support from others, sibling physical activity, direct help from parents, and opportunities to exercise. Conclusion: These consistently related variables should be confirmed in prospective

A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents.

Lung function: Assessment and application in medicine

Aim To analyse aerobic fitness and its relationship with sport participation, exercise training and habitual physical activity (HPA) during youth. Methods Studies were located through computer searches of Medline, SPORT Discus and personal databases. Systematic reviews of time trends in aerobic fitness/performance, and exercise training and peak oxygen uptake (peak VO 2 ) are reported. Results Peak VO 2 increases with age and maturation. Boys9 peak VO 2 is higher than girls9. Despite data showing a decrease in performance test estimates of aerobic fitness there is no compelling evidence to suggest that young people have low levels of peak VO 2 or that it is declining over time. The primary time constant of the VO 2 kinetics response to moderate and heavy intensity exercise slows with age and the VO 2 kinetics response to heavy intensity exercise is faster in boys. There is a negative correlation between lactate threshold as a percentage of peak VO 2 and age but differences related to maturation or sex remain to be proven. Young athletes have higher peak VO 2 , a faster primary time constant and accumulate less blood lactate at the same relative exercise intensity than their untrained peers. Young people can increase their peak VO 2 through exercise training but a meaningful relationship between aerobic fitness and HPA has not been demonstrated. Conclusions During youth the responses of the components of aerobic fitness vary in relation to age, maturation and sex. Exercise training will enhance aerobic fitness but a relationship between young people9s current HPA and aerobic fitness remains to be proven.

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/45/11/849.full.pdf

Aerobic fitness and its relationship to sport, exercise training and habitual physical activity during youth

(1999). Critical Periods in the Development of Performance Capacity During Childhood and Adolescence. European Journal of Physical Education: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 75-119.

Critical Periods in the Development of Performance Capacity During Childhood and Adolescence

This review summarizes the research relating physical activity to aerobic fitness among adolescents. A brief description of commonly used physical activity and aerobic fitness measures is presented, followed by an interpretation of the literature that suggests a small to moderate relationship between physical activity and aerobic fitness in this population (typical correlation of .16-17). Dose-response data are lacking, which makes it difficult to offer definitive conclusions concerning the amount of physical activity necessary to elicit change in aerobic capacity. Nevertheless, recommendations about the type, amount, and quality of physical activity for adolescents are presented. Recommendations are based on a summary of the research data on daily physical activity and aerobic fitness in adolescents. Further research is needed to investigate the association between habitual physical activity and aerobic fitness in adolescents where the a priori goal is to identify a threshold of daily physical activity n...

Relationship Between Habitual Physical Activity and Aerobic Fitness in Adolescents

This report gives results of a longitudinal study of two cohorts of school children in Norway and West-Germany. The rate of growth in body size and composition is identical for the two samples, but different for the two sexes, and follows closely the trend of growth which has been found for North-Europeans in general.

Maximum aerobic power and body composition during the puberty growth period: similarities and differences between children of two European countries.

The pattern of leisure time sport activity was estimated by retrospective recalls and expressed in terms of an annual sport activity score. The activity score was related to the development of maximal aerobic power during the period of late adolescence in German children. Both girls and boys reduced their activity pattern from 14 to 18 years of age, boys more than girls. At each age boys were more active than girls. A slight tendency towards better fitness with increased habitual physical activity was noticed, but many sedentary children exhibited a good performance capacity and some children with a high level of leisure time sport activity were characterized by a low level of maximal aerobic power. A statistical analysis revealed that the observed tendency to better fitness with increased habitual physical activity could be explained by an age factor with no additional effect of variation in sport activity score.

Leisure time sport activities and maximal aerobic power during late adolescence.

In a recent paper, Rutenfranz et al. (1981) studied the development of physical performance capacity relative to body composition during childhood and adolescence in representative samples of Norwegian and German schoolchildren. In this longitudinal investigation, the rate of growth in body size and composition relative to age was identical in the two cohorts of children and followed closely the trend that has been assessed for North-Europeans in general (Eveleth and Tanner 1976). However, compared on the basis of chronological age, the Norwegian children averaged higher in maximal aerobic power, which was observed in girls as well as in boys at all comparable ages. The purpose of this paper was to examine the maximal aerobic power and its rate of change as a function of maturation and body growth in order to test the hypothesis that the differences in maximal aerobic power between the Norwegian and German children are due to differences in growth and maturation with little additional effects of other factors.

Maximal aerobic power affected by maturation and body growth during childhood and adolescence.

The paper provides reference values with regard to pulmonary ventilation responses to progressively increasing bicycling up to the maximal level during the period of growth spurt. Data are based on longitudinal studies of rural Norwegian and German school children. A cluster sampling technique was used, starting with the total pupil-population at Lom in Norway at an age of 8 years, and annual tests were performed until the age of 15 years. In Germany a similar pupil-population was tested from age 12 until age 17 years. Functional growth curves giving means and dispersions for ventilation rates, tidal volume, respiratory frequency, ventilatory equivalent and respiratory gas exchange ratio are constructed. Norwegian and German children's developmental process with regard to the exercise ventilation variables were compared, and revealed no significant differences.

Excercise ventilation during the growth spurt period: Comparison between two European countries

The paper concerns a longitudinal study of the relationship between growth in lung functions in terms of forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1s, and the development of maximal aerobic power during the age span from 8–18 years of age.

M. Ruppel

Papers

Maximum aerobic power and body composition during the puberty growth period: similarities and differences between children of two European countries.

Leisure time sport activities and maximal aerobic power during late adolescence.

Maximal aerobic power affected by maturation and body growth during childhood and adolescence.

Excercise ventilation during the growth spurt period: Comparison between two European countries

The growth of lung volumes affected by physical performance capacity in boys and girls during childhood and adolescence.