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Background: Low levels of physical activity in high- to low-income countries, including South Africa, pose a great risk of cardiovascular-related diseases., Aim: This study aimed to assess and compare the physical fitness profile among children., Setting: The study setting comprised rural and urban primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa., Methods: A cross-sectional study was adopted utilising a randomly selected sample of boys and girls aged 9-14 years. Physical fitness measures were assessed using the Euro-fit test battery. Some parametric tests were used for mean comparisons of the various anthropometric measurements and physical fitness characteristics across demographics., Results: The sample consisted of 870 primary school learners. The average weight and height of the sample were 39.29 ± 10.34 kg and 144.06 ± 10.81 cm, respectively, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 18.80 ± 4.11 kg/m 2 . The results showed that boys reported significantly high levels of physical fitness. Sit-ups ( p ≤ 0.001) and VO2 max ( p ≤ 0.001) significantly increase with age, while all the physical fitness measures were significantly higher among rural-based learners., Conclusion: Rural-based learners and boys generally had better physical fitness performance than their peers. The effect of gender and place of residence should be considered when designing physical fitness interventions., Contribution: This study adds to the existing body of knowledge about the effect of demographic factors on the physical fitness profile of children, where boys and rural-based learners are reported to be more physically fit than their counterparts., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article., (© 2024. The Authors.)

Background: The level, direction or presence of the relationship between perceived physical activity (PA) participation and physical fitness (PF) in children may differ by gender and this will assist in designing gender-specific interventions to promote PA participation, which in turn improves PF levels., Aim: This study aimed to establish the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between perceived PA participation and PF., Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a cohort of 870 primary school children aged 9-14 years old. Perceived PA participation was measured using the PAQ-C questionnaire while PF levels were measured using cardiorespiratory endurance (i.e. VO2 max)., Results: The results showed significant gender differences for perceived PA participation levels ( t = -3.40, p ≤ 0.001) and PF ( t = -11.59, p ≤ 0.001), with boys reporting higher levels than the girls. Perceived PA participation had a positive, weak and statistically significant correlation with PF ( r = 0.251; p ≤ 0.001). Gender significantly moderates the relationship between perceived PA participation and PF (β 3 = 3.518; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.642 to 6.395; p = 0.017)., Conclusion: The moderating effect of gender on the relationship between perceived PA participation and PF highlights the differences in physiology as well as the societal PA associated roles played by boys and girls., Contribution: The study has established that the relationship between perceived PA participation and PF is more pronounced among boys than girls., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article., (© 2024. The Authors.)