Search

Participation in youth sport is positively associated with physical fitness and performance. The purpose of the current study was to examine if physical fitness measures during childhood and early ...

The Michigan State University Motor Performance Study (MPS) was initiated in 1967 and lasted 32 years. Three central components existed: 1) Educational component, in which students experienced appl...

Sexual maturation is one method by which researchers account for developmental timing during growth. In a longitudinal motor performance study (MPS), mothers reported their own recalled age at mena...

Childhood physical fitness relative to adult health outcomes coupled with scant longitudinal research indicates that tracking of fitness components throughout childhood/adolescence is imperative. T...

Research tracking sport participation from youth to adulthood is relatively rare, as is research that tracks youth sport participation with regard to adult physical activity (PA) levels, es...

Sport specialization has been shown to have negative effects on athletes but has not been studied within rock climbing. This study seeks to evaluate the proportion and impact of specialization in pediatric climbers.Climbers (ages 8-18 y) were recruited from throughout the United States to complete a 1-time survey regarding climbing experience, training patterns, and injury history. The main outcome of proportion of climbers suffering an injury was assessed within the last 12 mo and within their entire climbing experience (defined as "lifetime" injury). Early specialization was defined as exclusive participation in climbing, with training for8 mo‧yParticipants (n=111, 14±3 y [mean±SD], 69 females) were high-level climbers. Fifty-five percent of participants specialized in climbing, and 69% of those specialized early. Hand and ankle injuries occurred most commonly. Seventy-eight percent of late specialized climbers had a lifetime injury. Late specialized climbers were 1.6 times (95% CI: 1.1-2.3) more likely than early specialized climbers to have had a lifetime injury and 1.8 times (95% CI: 1.1-2.8) more likely to have had an injury in the last 12 mo. No difference in overuse injuries was found between specialization groups.Early specialization is common among youth climbers but was not associated with an increase in injuries. Late specialization was associated with a higher likelihood of having had a climbing injury in the last 12 mo and during an entire climbing career.

Background Rock climbing is an increasingly popular sport worldwide and will debut in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Climbing places unique physical demands on pediatric athletes and carries inherent risks of injury. In many other sports, specialization has been shown to have deleterious effects on athletes, but this has not been studied within youth climbing. Additionally, few studies have explored injury epidemiology and risk factors in the pediatric climbing population. Our purpose was to evaluate how specialization and other potential risk factors are associated with injury and burnout in the pediatric …

Exergames have been suggested as a possible alternative to traditional exercise in the general population. The purpose of this study was to examine the heart rate (HR) and energy expenditure (EE) of young adults playing several different exergames, while self-selecting the component of the game to play and the intensity. A total of 117 participants, 18-35 years of age, were evaluated on one of four active video games. Participants were free to choose any component of the given game to play and they played at a self-selected intensity. The average HR and EE during the individual games were compared to resting conditions and to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines. The HR and EE increased above resting conditions during each game (p

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in youth has steadily increased over the last decade, although it appears to have currently stabilized. Physical inactivity is a major contributor to this obesity epidemic, and more than half of American youth do not meet physical activity recommendations. Rock climbing and bouldering require both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, with the metabolic cost comparable to moderate to vigorous physical activity in adults. Minimal data on youth climbers exist, yet climbing is extremely popular with youth, and thus the sport may be a viable option for decreasing the prevalence of obesity. Available data show that rock climbing can provide youth with muscular strength and endurance building exercise, and possibly improve flexibility. In addition, rock climbing has the potential to provide youth with moderate levels of physical activity according to recommended guidelines. Nine peer reviewed articles are included in this review, as these are the articles specifically associated with youth climbing and health-related fitness. Due to limited research in this area, no articles were excluded if they were related to health-related fitness and youth and rock climbing/bouldering. This review aims to systematically address the impact of rock climbing and bouldering on health-related fitness in youth.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a correlation existed among the scores of the "Jackie Chan Studio Fitness(™) Action Run" active videogame (XaviX(®), SSD Company, Ltd., Kusatsu, Japan), the 1-mile run/walk, and Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) aerobic fitness tests of the FITNESSGRAM(®) (The Cooper Institute, Dallas, TX) in order to provide a potential alternative testing method for days that are not environmentally desirable for outdoor testing.Participants were a convenience sample from physical education classes of students between the ages of 10 and 15 years. Participants (n=108) were randomly assigned to one of three groups with the only difference being the order of testing. The tests included the "Jackie Chan Action Run" active videogame, the 1-mile run/walk, and the PACER. Testing occurred on three different days during the physical education class. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was reported.Significant correlations (r=-0.598 to 0.312) were found among the three aerobic fitness tests administered (P0.05). The RPE for the "Jackie Chan Action Run" was lower than the RPE for the 1-mile run/walk and the PACER (3.81±1.89, 5.93±1.77, and 5.71±2.14, respectively).The results suggest that the "Jackie Chan Action Run" test could be an alternative to the 1-mile run/walk and PACER, allowing physical education teachers to perform aerobic fitness testing in an indoor setting that requires less space. Also, children may be more willing to participate in the "Jackie Chan Action Run" based on the lower RPE.

The purpose of this study is to compare estimates of physical activity and physical inactivity in urban Mexican school youth. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1085 school youth (525 males, 560 females), 9-18 years of age resident in Mexico City. Socioeconomic status (SES) was estimated. The Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ) was used to estimate activity over the past week. Television and video game time were noted. Height and weight were measured; the BMI was calculated. Youth were classified as normal weight, overweight or obese using international criteria. MANOVA was used to compare physical activity and inactivity by SES, age group (9-10, 11-13, and 14-18 years) within and between sexes, and by weight status. The most common non-sport physical activities are walking and jogging in girls and jogging, walking and bicycling in boys. Frequent (≥3 times per week) participation in sport activities is more common among boys than girls. Within each age group and sex, PAQ scores and screen time do not differ by SES, and boys are more physically active than girls. Boys spend more time playing video games than girls at all ages. Younger males and females have higher activity scores than the oldest group. Correlations between the BMI and the PAQ score are low. Estimated physical activity and screen time do not differ among youth by weight status. The majority of urban Mexican youth in this sample had insufficient physical activity and seemingly too much inactivity, both of which have negative implications on health status.

According to a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation, total media use among all 8- to 18-year-olds was seven hours and thirty-eight minutes on a typical day (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). The large amount of time spent in media use has been implicated as one of the causes of the increased prevalence of obesity. The purposes of this study were to measure: 1) the total level of energy expenditure (EE) while middle school children played the Wii Sports games when given free access to all of the games, 2) the length of time they played each game, and 3) the differences in EE between games. Thirty-seven children (15 males and 22 females) with an average age of 12.4 ± 1.0 years participated in this study. Each had experience with Wii Sports. Participants were given 20 minutes to play any of the Wii Sports games they desired while their expired gases were captured by a calibrated portable metabolic cart. Heart rate was monitored with a Polar® heart rate monitor. Baseball and bowling were the most popular games. Energy expenditure was greater after playing the Wii for each game except golf. The average EE during the game playing time was 2.8 ± 0.9 kcal/min, compared to 1.4 ± 0.4 kcal/min while at rest prior to testing. Playing Wii Sports can moderately increase the EE of children over rest.

Video games have become increasingly popular among young adults. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if interactive video/arcade games, requiring physical activity to play, increase the energy expenditure (EE) and heart rate (HR) of young adults enough to elicit a training response. Thirteen male and female participants 26.6 ± 5.7 years of age were in the study. Participants were familiarized with equipment and allowed to practice with three games: (1) moving and striking lighted pads, (2) riding a bike to increase the pace of a race car, and (3) boxing against a video simulated opponent. A portable metabolic cart and HR monitor were attached to participants to measure baseline and exercise values. Participants could play any of the three games for 30 minutes while metabolic and HR data were collected. Exercise data were compared to baseline measures, and the 3 games were compared for EE. Paired sample t-tests showed baseline and exercise values differed for HR (t(12) = −18.91, p < 0.01), and EE (t(12) = −15.62, p < 0.01). The boxing game provided the highest VO2 (17.47 ± 4.79 ml·kg·−1min−1). Participants achieved 60% or better of their HR reserve (162.82 ± 10.78 beats·min−1), well within the ACSM guidelines for a training HR. Caloric expenditure during the 30-minute exercise session (226. 07 ± 48.68) is also within the ACSM recommendations for daily physical activity. Thus, interactive video/arcade games that require physical activity to play can be utilized as part of an overall aerobic exercise program.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate correlates of physical activity in Mexico City school youth. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,004 school youth (490 males and 514 females), 9-18 years of age resident in Mexico City. Age, height, body mass index (BMI), socioeconomic status (SES), time viewing television and playing video games (physical inactivity), and perceived sport/physical activity status of mother and father were evaluated as potential correlates of physical activity [Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ)]. Multiple linear regression analyses (backward elimination) by age group and sex were used. RESULTS: Physical activity declined in older adolescents, while differences between the two younger age groups were minimal. Television time showed a similar tendency. Overall, fathers were perceived as being active in sport/physical activity more frequently than mothers. Significant predictors of activity differed by age group and sex. For the total sample, age (negative) and perceived sport/activity status of the mother (positive) were significant predictors of the PAQ in boys, and age and the BMI (negative) and height and perceived sport/activity status of both parents (positive) were significant predictors for girls. Age (negative) was the main predictor for inactivity in both males and females. CONCLUSIONS: Potential correlates of physical activity and inactivity considered in this analysis were limited and accounted for relatively little of the variance in physical activity. The role of perceived sport/activity of the parents, especially among younger boys and girls, is particularly of interest and merits more detailed study. Nevertheless, many other variables also need to be considered. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Language: en

This study examines CVD risk factors trends in Welsh adolescents between 2002 and 2007.CVD risk factor data was examined from two cross-sectional studies. The first study (73 participants; aged 12.9 ± 0.3 years) was completed in 2002. The second study (90 participants; aged 12.9 ± 0.4 years) was conducted in 2007. Measurements included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, fibrinogen (Fg) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).In boys, mean BMI and WC were lower in 2007, although not significantly (p ≥ 0.05). In 2007, there were improvements in mean lipid, Fg and hs-CRP concentrations in both sexes (p0.05). In 2002, 42.8% of boys and 34.2% of girls were overweight or obese; in 2007, this was 23.7% and 28.9% for boys and girls, respectively. More adolescents in 2002 exceeded the recommended levels for lipids, Fg and hs-CRP.This is the only study to examine CVD risk factor trends in Welsh adolescents. Although overweight continues to be widespread in 12-13 year olds, this study did not identify significant mean changes in overweight and obesity between 2002 and 2007. Overall, the data presented a positive trend in lipid profile and inflammatory factors.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of obesity in children has reached epidemic proportions with over 37% of children aged 6-11 years in the U.S. being classified as "at risk for overweight" or "overweight." Utilization of active video games has been proposed as one possible mechanism to help shift the tide of the obesity epidemic. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if riding a stationary bike that controlled a video game would lead to significantly greater energy expenditure than riding the same bike without the video game connected. METHODS: Twenty children, 7-14 years old, with a BMI classification of "at risk for overweight" or "overweight" participated in this study. Following familiarization, energy expenditure was evaluated while riding a stationary bike for 20 minutes. One test was performed without the addition of a video game and one test with the bike controlling the speed of a car on the video game. RESULTS: Oxygen consumption and energy expenditure were significantly elevated above baseline in both conditions. Energy expenditure was significantly higher while riding the bike as it controlled the video game (4.4 ± 1.2 Kcal·min(-1)) than when riding the bike by itself (3.7 ± 1.1 Kcal·min(-1)) (p0.05). Perceived exertion was not significantly different between the two sessions (p0.05). CONCLUSION: Using a stationary bike to control a video game led to greater energy expenditure than riding a stationary bike without the video game and without a related increase in perceived exertion.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that rock climbing (RC) may provide youth with adequate moderate levels of physical activity (PA). However, time spent in vigourous PA has not been addressed in this population. PURPOSES: 1) To determine how much vigorous physical activity RC provides for youth 8-18 years, and 2) To compare recreational and elite youth climbers in estimated energy expenditure, average heart rate (AHR), peak heart rate (PHR), and estimated calories (kcals) burned overall and per minute. METHODS: Data were collected from recreational climbers (7 males, 8 females; mean age = 10.8 ± 3.0 years), and elite climbers (4 males, 10 females; mean age = 13.5 ± 1.8 years) from the UK. To determine time spent in vigourous PA, minutes (mins) spent with target heart rate (THR) > 159 beats per minute (bpm) (Armstrong et al., 1991) were assessed. Average and peak heart rate in bpm, and energy expended (kcals) during single bouts of climbing were estimated via Polar HR monitors. As males and females did not differ in time at a given exercise intensity (p > 0.05), their results were combined in each group. Differences between groups (recreational vs elite) were tested with ANCOVA, controlling for the age difference in the two groups. RESULTS: Recreational and elite youth climbers did not significantly differ in time at the vigourous level of PA, although the elite climbers averaged 36.3 ± 14 mins in vigourous activity, and the recreational climbers averaged 23.0 ± 14 mins. AHR ranged between 120-156 bpm for the elite climbers, and 120-140 bpm for the recreational climbers; this difference was not significant. Estimated total kcals also did not significantly differ, although elite climbers burned more kcals than recreational climbers (419 vs 257). CONCLUSIONS: Time in vigourous PA was higher than previously assessed in youth climbers. Minimal differences existed between elite and recreational climbers in most components assessed. Small sample size could contribute to the lack of difference, as could the older average age of the elite climbers. In addition, the results could be due to the fact that the recreational climbers were fairly advanced (i.e., closer to the elites) in skill level.

We estimated age at menarche in a cross-sectional sample of 159 competitive figure skaters aged 11-22 years. The sample represented three standards (test stream, pre-elite, elite) and three disciplines (free skaters, pair skaters, dancers). The status quo (yes/no) and retrospective methods were used. Estimated age at menarche based on probit analysis of the status quo data was 14.2 +/- 0.5 years, with 95% confidence intervals of 13.2 to 15.2 years. Mean recalled age at menarche for 67 skaters aged 16 years or over was 13.6 +/- 1.2 years. Comparisons of skaters by standard and discipline were limited to skatersor = 16 years. Menarche was, on average, significantly later (P0.01) in elite (n = 36; 14.0 +/- 1.4 years) than in test stream (n = 15; 12.9 +/- 0.8 years) skaters. Age at menarche in pre-elite skaters (n = 16; 13.5 +/- 0.9 years) did not differ significantly from the other two groups. By discipline, menarche was, on average, significantly later (P0.01) in pair skaters (n = 12; 14.5 +/- 1.3 years) than in both free skaters (n = 38; 13.4 +/- 1.0 years) and dancers (n = 17; 13.4 +/- 1.4 years). Early maturing girls (menarche12.0 years; n = 2) were not represented in this sample of competitive figure skaters. Mean recalled age at menarche of mothers of skaters (n = 84) was 13.7 +/- 1.3 years and the mother-daughter correlation (n = 56 pairs) was 0.45 (P0.01). Later maturation was thus characteristic of competitive figure skaters, particularly in elite and more specialized pair skaters, and there was a significant familial resemblance.