Cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular fitness correlates in youth: A hierarchy of behavioral, contextual, and health-related outcomes

Gil B Rosa; Viviana Staiano; Katja Ponikvar; João P Magalhães; Inês R Correia; Megan Hetherington-Rauth; Luís B Sardinha

doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2024.03.003

Cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular fitness correlates in youth: A hierarchy of behavioral, contextual, and health-related outcomes

J Sci Med Sport. 2024 Mar 15:S1440-2440(24)00080-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2024.03.003. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Gil B Rosa¹, Viviana Staiano², Katja Ponikvar³, João P Magalhães⁴, Inês R Correia⁴, Megan Hetherington-Rauth⁵, Luís B Sardinha⁴

Affiliations

¹ Exercise and Health Laboratory, CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: gilrosa@campus.ul.pt.
² Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples Parthenope, Italy.
³ Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
⁴ Exercise and Health Laboratory, CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal.
⁵ California Pacific Medical Center, Research Institute, USA.

PMID: 38531732
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2024.03.003

Abstract

Objectives: Despite the health importance of identifying correlates of physical fitness in youth, no investigation to date has explored the influence of behavioral, health-related, and contextual correlates simultaneously. We investigated the hierarchical relationship of multiple modifiable correlates favoring or diminishing cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness in youth.

Design: Cross-sectional investigation.

Methods: In a sample of 5174 children and adolescents, 31 correlates were hierarchized according to their impact on cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness assessed using the FITESCOLA® fitness battery. A Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection approach was employed and measures of correlation and association were used to investigate the relationship between physical fitness and correlates.

Results: In children, body mass index was the most relevant factor to discriminate between high and low cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness of the upper, middle, and lower body. While body mass index was more important than any other correlate to differentiate levels of upper and lower body muscular fitness during adolescence, specific characteristics of sports participation emerged as key factors to discriminate between high and low cardiorespiratory fitness and middle body muscular fitness. Other correlates, including the self-report of active recess time, active commuting to school, favorable neighborhood conditions, and limited time on screens and cellphones, were demonstrative of favorable physical fitness levels.

Conclusions: Both body composition and sports-related characteristics emerged as the two most relevant factors of physical fitness in youth. Additional health benefits may be obtained from building supportive environments for sports and healthy exercise habits within the household and at different school education levels.

Keywords: Cardiorespiratory fitness; Correlates; Decision tree analysis; Muscular fitness; Physical education and training; Youth.