Differences in Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, Health-Related Physical Performance Indices and Academic Achievement: A Comparative Study of Normal-Weight and Obese Children in Qatar

The relationship between physical activity (PA), health-related physical performance (PP), and academic achievement (AA) plays an important role in childhood. This study examined the differences in PA, sedentary behavior, health-related PP, maturity status, and AA between normal-weight and obese sch...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical medicine 2024-02, Vol.13 (4), p.1057
Main Authors: Hermassi, Souhail, Ketelhut, Sascha, Konukman, Ferman, Ayari, Mohammed Ali, Al-Marri, Senaid, Al Rawahi, Nasser, Bouhafs, El Ghali, Nigg, Claudio R, Schwesig, René
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Behavior
Body mass index
Diagnosis
Elementary school students
Exercise
Exercise for children
Health aspects
Health status indicators
Obesity in children
Pediatric research
Physical fitness
Physical fitness for children
Psychological aspects
Risk factors
Sedentary behavior
Students
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The relationship between physical activity (PA), health-related physical performance (PP), and academic achievement (AA) plays an important role in childhood. This study examined the differences in PA, sedentary behavior, health-related PP, maturity status, and AA between normal-weight and obese school children in Qatar. Eighty schoolchildren were recruited (age: 12.1 ± 0.6 years). Based on age-specific BMI percentiles, the children were classified as normal weight (n = 40) or obese (n = 40). Moore's equations were used to estimate their maturity status (PHV). The measurements encompassed anthropometric data as well as PP tests (medicine ball throw, postural stability, handgrip strength). AA was assessed by reviewing school records for grade point average in Mathematics, Science, and Arabic courses. The total amount of time spent participating in PA each week was calculated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form. Handgrip strength was the only parameter that showed a relevant group difference ( < 0.001, η = 0.15; normal weight: 19.7 ± 3.46 N; obese: 21.7 ± 2.80 N). We found only one moderate correlation between PHV and handgrip strength (r = 0.59). The findings suggest that obesity status alone might not serve as a sufficient predictor of AA in school or PA levels.
ISSN:2077-0383
2077-0383
DOI:10.3390/jcm13041057