Relationship between physical activity, socioeconomic status, and physical fitness of 8–15-year-old youth from Mozambique

Bibliographic Data

ID22474979
AuthorsAntonio Prista (0000-0002-3652-7205, corresponding author), António Marques (0000-0002-8656-5023, Universidade do Porto), A T Marques, Jar Maia (Universidade do Porto)
Year1997
Volume9
Issue4
Pages449-457
Publication date1997-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Human Biology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1042-0533 • E-ISSN: 1520-6300
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/(sici)1520-6300(1997)9:4<449::aid-ajhb4>3.0.co;2-r
PMID28561284
OpenAlexW2020836929
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited17

A cross-sectional study of 593 students (277 boys, 316 girls) 8-15 years of age was done to evaluate the physical fitness (PF) of children and adolescents from Maputo, Mozambique, relative to socioeconomic status (SES) and physical activity (PA). PF was assessed by a battery of field tests including the sit and reach, sit-ups, hand grip strength, a 10 × 5 meters shuttle run, and two distance runs, 1,600 and 2,400 meters. PA was estimated with a questionnaire designed for this population. Students were divided into three groups according to region of residence, which was used as the criterion of SES. PA was more intense among underprivileged students due to domestic activities and walking time per day. PF significantly differed among SES groups. Poor students exhibited significantly better results on the sit and reach and endurance runs, while privileged children performed better on sit-ups and the shuttle run. There were no differences in grip strength. Comparison with North American reference data suggests that Mozambican youth have greater flexibility and cardiorespiratory endurance, but less absolute strength and power. The results suggest that SES is an important determinant of fitness in Mozambique, especially because of its influence on body size, composition, and on PA. In addition, cultural effects on the performance of the tests were indicated. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 9:449-457, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Cardiorespiratory fitness · Environmental health · Flexibility (engineering) · Grip strength · Hum · Multi-stage fitness test · Physical activity · Physical fitness · Physical strength · Physical therapy · Population · Residence · Socioeconomic status · Statistics · Children's Physical and Motor Development · Demography · Mathematics · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Physical Activity and Health · Psychology · Gerontology

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