Body mass index, fitness and physical activity from childhood through adolescence Effects of a physical activity programme in the school setting on physical fitness in preschool children Differences in Aerobic Fitness and Lifestyle Characteristics in Preschoolers according to their Weight Status and Sports Club Participation Reliability and validity of age band 1 of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children--second edition. Influence of a lifestyle intervention in preschool children on physiological and psychological parameters (Ballabeina): study design of a cluster randomized controlled trial The Effects of Nutritional-Physical Activity School-based Intervention on Fatness and Fitness in Preschool Children Effects of a lifestyle intervention on adiposity and fitness in overweight or low fit preschoolers (Ballabeina). A web- and mobile phone-based intervention to prevent obesity in 4-year-olds (MINISTOP): a population-based randomized controlled trial Effect of multidimensional lifestyle intervention on fitness and adiposity in predominantly migrant preschool children (Ballabeina): cluster randomised controlled trial A policy-driven multifaceted approach for early childhood physical fitness promotion: impacts on body composition and physical fitness in young Chinese children Energy balance-related behaviours associated with overweight and obesity in preschool children: a systematic review of prospective studies. Does the CATCH Early Childhood Program Increase Physical Activity Among Low-Income Preschoolers?—Results From a Pilot Study Physical fitness and shapes of subcortical brain structures in children. Effects of extra school-based physical education on overall physical fitness development--the CHAMPS study DK.
Background Obesity , sedentary lifestyle and poor cardiorespiratory fitness in childhood may increase the risk of health problems later in life . Purpose The authors studied the association of early childhood weight status with cardiorespiratory fitness and leisure-time physical activity ( LTPA ) in adolescence . The stability and associations of LTPA and fitness from childhood through adolescence were also studied . Methods  Body mass index ( BMI ) was assessed annually since birth in a prospect i ve , longitudinal study . The mean BMI between ages 2 and 7 years indicated weight status at preschool age . Fitness was studied with a shuttle run test at age 9 and with a maximal cycle ergometer test at age 17 . The same question naire was used to assess LTPA at age 9 , 13 and 17 . Complete data on preschool BMI , LTPA at ages 13 and 17 and fitness at age 17 years was provided by 351 children , while fitness and LTPA data were available for 74 children at ages 9 and 17 . Results Preschool BMI was inversely associated with fitness in adolescence independently of adolescent LTPA ( p=0.0001 ) . Children who had a high preschool BMI but whose weight status was reduced in adolescence had similar fitness in adolescence as the children with a persistently low BMI . Regardless of the fitness level in childhood , the children whose LTPA increased between age 9 and 17 had a similar adolescent fitness level as persistently active subjects . Conclusions It is important to maintain a healthy body weight and a physically active lifestyle from very childhood through adolescence to improve fitness during adolescence AIM The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 10-week aerobic games programme on physical fitness . METHODS One hundred eleven children , aged 3 to 6 years , participated in this study ; 60 children were male ( age : 4.28 ± 0.61 years old ) , and 51 were female ( age 4.59 ± 0.49 years old ) . Participants were r and omly assigned to an experimental group ( EG ; n = 56 ) and a control group ( CG ; n = 55 ) . A fitness test battery previously vali date d for preschoolers was used . The children in the EG performed 3 weekly training sessions of physical activity in a classroom during a 10-week period . Every EG session lasted about 30 min . RESULTS There were no significant differences in any variable in the pretest between groups . In the posttest , the EG achieved better results in horizontal jump and sprint . In relation to posttest-pretest differences , the EG showed a greater increase in horizontal jump , sprint , and endurance . CONCLUSION An aerobic games programme in the school setting improved physical fitness in preschool children Objective : This study assesses differences in adiposity , aerobic fitness , and lifestyle characteristics in preschoolers according to their weight status and sports club ( SC ) participation . Method : As part of the Ballabeina study , 600 r and omly selected preschoolers ( mean age 5.1 ± 0.6 years ; 50.2 % girls ) were analyzed . Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance , aerobic fitness by the 20-meter shuttle run test , and physical activity by accelerometers . Eating habits , media use , and SC participation were assessed by question naires . Results : Overweight children ( Swiss national percentiles ) and children not participating in SC had both lower aerobic fitness and higher % body fat compared to their respective counterparts ( all p ≤ 0.028 ) . In addition , children not participating in SC were less physically active , had more media use , and ate less healthy compared to children participating in SC ( all p ≤ 0.023 ) . Controlling for parental sociocultural determinants attenuated differences in % body fat , in physical activity , and in eating habits . Conclusion : Aerobic fitness differs both according to weight status and SC participation in preschoolers . Furthermore , in view of the many differences in lifestyle behaviors , SC participation at this age could represent a more discriminatory indicator of healthy lifestyle characteristics than weight status The purpose of this study was to examine specific aspects of the reliability and validity of age b and 1 of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children -- Second Edition ( MABC-2 ) ( Henderson , Sugden , & Barnett , 2007 ) in Greek preschool children . One hundred and eighty-three children participated in the study ; the children ranged in age from 36 to 64 months old ( M = 50 months , SD = 9 months ) .  Test-retest reliability of the MABC-2 was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficient ( ICC ) . Cronbach 's alpha for the items of each motor domain was estimated to determine internal consistency . Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factorial validity of the MABC-2 test . Correlation coefficients among individual item scores and the total score were also calculated to further examine validity . The ICC for all test items was good , except for the drawing trail task , which was moderate . Cronbach 's alpha coefficient values were .51 , .70 and .66 for manual dexterity , aim ing and catching , and balance , respectively . In the confirmatory factor analysis , goodness-of-fit indices suggested a satisfactory fit of the data to the model . The correlation coefficients between each test item and the total score were moderate . The results suggest that the MABC-2 can be a reliable and valid tool for the assessment of movement difficulties among 3 - 5-year-old children Background Childhood obesity and physical inactivity are increasing dramatically worldwide . Children of low socioeconomic status and /or children of migrant background are especially at risk . In general , the overall effectiveness of school-based programs on health-related outcomes has been disappointing . A special gap exists for younger children and in high risk groups . Methods / Design This paper describes the rationale , design , curriculum , and evaluation of a multicenter preschool r and omized intervention study conducted in areas with a high migrant population in two out of 26 Swiss cantons . Twenty preschool classes in the German ( canton St. Gallen ) and another 20 in the French ( canton Vaud ) part of Switzerl and were separately selected and r and omized to an intervention and a control arm by the use of opaque envelopes . The multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention aim ed to increase physical activity and sleep duration , to reinforce healthy nutrition and eating behaviour , and to reduce media use . According to the ecological model , it included children , their parents and the teachers . The regular teachers performed the majority of the intervention and were supported by a local health promoter . The intervention included physical activity lessons , adaptation of the built infrastructure ; promotion of regional extracurricular physical activity ; playful lessons about nutrition , media use and sleep , funny homework cards and information material s for teachers and parents . It lasted one school year . Baseline and post-intervention evaluations were performed in both arms . Primary outcome measures included BMI and aerobic fitness ( 20 m shuttle run test ) . Secondary outcomes included total ( skinfolds , bioelectrical impedance ) and central ( waist circumference ) body fat , motor abilities ( obstacle course , static and dynamic balance ) , physical activity and sleep duration ( accelerometry and question naires ) , nutritional behaviour and food intake , media use , quality of life and signs of hyperactivity ( question naires ) , attention and spatial working memory ability ( two vali date d tests ) . Research ers were blinded to group allocation . Discussion The purpose of this paper is to outline the design of a school-based multicenter cluster r and omized , controlled trial aim ing to reduce body mass index and to increase aerobic fitness in preschool children in culturally different parts of Switzerl and with a high migrant population .Trial Registration Trial Registration : clinical trials.gov BACKGROUND Obesity is now the most common chronic pediatric disease . Early health education programs could serve to prevent and treat childhood obesity and its numerous complications . AIM To examine the effects of a r and omized prospect i ve school-based intervention on anthropometric measures , body composition , leisure time habits and fitness in preschool children . CHILDREN Fifty-four preschool children completed a 14-week combined dietary-behavioral-physical activity intervention and were compared to 47 age matched controls ( age 5 - 6 yr ) . RESULTS Daily physical activity was significantly greater in the intervention group compared to the controls ( 6,927 + /- 364 vs 5,489 + /- 284 steps/ day , respectively ; p < 0.003 ) . Favorable changes were observed in weight ( 0.35 + /- 0.08 vs 0.9 + /- 0.1 kg , p < 0.0005 ) , BMI percentile ( -3.8 + /- 1.3 vs 2.9 + /- 1.5 kg/m2 , p < 0.001 ) , fat percent ( by skinfolds , -0.65 + /- 0.3 vs 1.64 + /- 0.3 % , p < 0.028 ) and fitness ( endurance time -3.55 + /- 1.85 vs 3.16 + /- 2.05 % , p < 0.017 ) in the intervention versus control groups . CONCLUSIONS A preschool , dietary/physical activity intervention may play a role in health promotion , prevention and treatment of childhood obesity OBJECTIVE Overweight ( OW ) and low fit children represent cardiovascular high-risk groups . A multidimensional school-based lifestyle intervention performed in 652 preschoolers reduced skinfold thickness and waist circumference , and improved fitness , but did not affect BMI . The objective of this study is to examine whether the intervention was equally effective in OW ( ≥90th national percentile ) and /or low fit ( lowest sex- and age-adjusted quartile of aerobic fitness ) children compared to their normal weight and normal fit counterparts . DESIGN AND METHODS Cluster r and omized controlled single blinded trial , conducted in 2008/09 in 40 r and omly selected preschool classes in Switzerl and . The intervention included a playful physical activity program and lessons on nutrition , media use and sleeps . Primary outcomes were BMI and aerobic fitness ; secondary outcomes included sum of four skinfolds , waist circumference and motor agility . Modification of intervention effects by BMI -group and fitness-group was tested by interaction terms . RESULTS Compared to their counterparts , OW children ( n = 130 ) had more beneficial effects on waist circumference ( p for interaction = 0.001 ) and low fit children ( n = 154 ) more beneficial effects on all adiposity outcomes ( p for interaction ≤0.03 ) . The intervention effects on both fitness outcomes were not modified by BMI - or fitness-group ( all p for interaction ≥0.2 ) . Average intervention effect sizes for BMI were -0.12 , -0.05 , -0.26 and -0.02 kg/m(2 ) and for aerobic fitness were 0.40 , 0.30 , 0.12 and 0.36 stages for OW , normal weight , low fit and normal fit children , respectively . CONCLUSIONS This multidimensional intervention was equally and for some adiposity measures even more effective in high-risk preschoolers and represents a promising option for these children Background Childhood obesity is an increasing health problem globally . Overweight and obesity may be established as early as 2–5 years of age , highlighting the need for evidence -based effective prevention and treatment programs early in life . In adults , mobile phone based interventions for weight management ( mHealth ) have demonstrated positive effects on body mass , however , their use in child population s has yet to be examined . The aim of this paper is to report the study design and methodology of the MINSTOP ( Mobile-based Intervention Intended to Stop Obesity in Preschoolers ) trial . Methods / Design A two-arm , parallel design r and omized controlled trial in 300 healthy Swedish 4-year-olds is conducted . After baseline measures , parents are allocated to either an intervention- or control group . The 6- month mHealth intervention consists of a web-based application ( the MINSTOP app ) to help  parents promote healthy eating and physical activity in children .  MINISTOP is based on the Social Cognitive Theory and involves the delivery of a comprehensive , personalized program of information and text messages based on existing guidelines for a healthy diet and active lifestyle in pre-school children . Parents also register physical activity and intakes of c and y , soft drinks , vegetables as well as fruits of their child and receive feedback through the application . Primary outcomes include body fatness and energy intake , while secondary outcomes are time spent in sedentary , moderate , and vigorous physical activity , physical fitness and intakes of fruits and vegetables , snacks , soft drinks and c and y. Food and energy intake ( Tool for Energy balance in Children , TECH ) , body fatness ( pediatric option for BodPod ) , physical activity ( Actigraph wGT3x-BT ) and physical fitness ( the PREFIT battery of five fitness tests ) are measured at baseline , after the intervention ( six months after baseline ) and at follow-up ( 12 months after baseline ) . Discussion This novel study will evaluate the effectiveness of a mHealth program for mitigating gain in body fatness among 4-year-old children . If the intervention proves effective it has great potential to be implemented in child-health care to counteract childhood overweight and obesity . Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov NCT02021786 ; 20 Dec 2013 Objective To test the effect of a multidimensional lifestyle intervention on aerobic fitness and adiposity in predominantly migrant preschool children . Design Cluster r and omised controlled single blinded trial ( Ballabeina study ) over one school year ; r and omisation was performed after stratification for linguistic region . Setting 40 preschool classes in areas with a high migrant population in the German and French speaking regions of Switzerl and . Participants 652 of the 727 preschool children had informed consent and were present for baseline measures ( mean age 5.1 years ( SD 0.7 ) , 72 % migrants of multicultural origins ) . No children withdrew , but 26 moved away . Intervention The multidimensional culturally tailored lifestyle intervention included a physical activity programme , lessons on nutrition , media use ( use of television and computers ) , and sleep and adaptation of the built environment of the preschool class . It lasted from August 2008 to June 2009 . Main outcome measures Primary outcomes were aerobic fitness ( 20 m shuttle run test ) and body mass index ( BMI ) . Secondary outcomes included motor agility , balance , percentage body fat , waist circumference , physical activity , eating habits , media use , sleep , psychological health , and cognitive abilities . Results Compared with controls , children in the intervention group had an increase in aerobic fitness at the end of the intervention ( adjusted mean difference : 0.32 stages ( 95 % confidence interval 0.07 to 0.57 ; P=0.01 ) but no difference in BMI ( −0.07 kg/m2 , −0.19 to 0.06 ; P=0.31 ) . Relative to controls , children in the intervention group had beneficial effects in motor agility ( −0.54 s , −0.90 to −0.17 ; P=0.004 ) , percentage body fat ( −1.1 % , −2.0 to −0.2 ; P=0.02 ) , and waist circumference ( −1.0 cm , −1.6 to −0.4 ; P=0.001 ) . There were also significant benefits in the intervention group in reported physical activity , media use , and eating habits , but not in the remaining secondary outcomes . Conclusions A multidimensional intervention increased aerobic fitness and reduced body fat but not BMI in predominantly migrant preschool children . Trial registration Clinical Trials NCT00674544 Background The prevalence of obesity increased while certain measures of physical fitness deteriorated in preschool children in China over the past decade . This study tested the effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention that integrated childcare center , families , and community to promote healthy growth and physical fitness in preschool Chinese children . Methods This 12-month study was conducted using a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design with comparison group . The participants were 357 children ( mean age = 4.5 year ) enrolled in three grade levels in two childcare centers in Beijing , China . The intervention included : 1 ) childcare center intervention ( physical activity policy changes , teacher training , physical education curriculum and food services training ) , 2 ) family intervention ( parent education , internet website for support , and family events ) , and 3 ) community intervention ( playground renovation and community health promotion events ) . The study outcome measures included body composition ( percent body fat , fat mass , and muscle mass ) , Body Mass Index ( BMI ) and BMI z-score and physical fitness scores in 20-meter agility run ( 20M-AR ) , broad jump for distance ( BJ ) , timed 10-jumps , tennis ball throwing ( TBT ) , sit and reach ( SR ) , balance beam walk ( BBW ) , 20-meter crawl ( 20M-C ) ) , 30-meter sprint ( 30M-S ) ) from a norm referenced test . Measures of process evaluation included monitoring of children ’s physical activity ( activity time and intensity ) and food preparation records , and fidelity of intervention protocol implementation . Results Children in the intervention center significantly lowered their body fat percent ( −1.2 % , p < 0.0001 ) , fat mass ( −0.55 kg , p < 0.0001 ) , and body weight ( 0.36 kg , p < 0.02 ) and increased muscle mass ( 0.48 kg , p < 0.0001 ) , compared to children in the control center . They also improved all measures of physical fitness except timed 10-jumps ( 20M-AR : −0.74 seconds , p < 0.0001 ; BJ : 8.09 cm , p < 0.0001 ; TBT : 0.52 meters , p < 0.006 ; SR : 0.88 cm , p < 0.03 ; BBW : −2.02 seconds , p < 0.0001 ; 30M-S : −0.45 seconds , p < 0.02 ; 20M-C : −3.36 seconds , p < 0.0001 ) . Process evaluation data showed that the intervention protocol was implemented with high fidelity . Conclusions The study demonstrated that a policy-driven multi-faceted intervention can improve preschool children ’s body composition and physical fitness . Program efficacy should be tested in a r and omized trial . Trial registration ChiCTR-ONRC-14004143 The current review aim ed to systematic ally identify dietary , physical activity and sedentary behaviours in preschool children ( 4 - 6 years of age ) that are prospect ively related to overweight or obesity later in childhood . Prospect i ve studies published between January 1990 and June 2010 were selected from search es in PubMed , EMBASE , PsycINFO , CINAHL and Cochrane Library . Studies examining the prospect i ve association between at least one relevant behaviour measured during preschool period ( children aged 4 - 6 years at baseline ) in relation to at least one anthropometric measurement at follow-up ( age < 18 years ) were included . Harvest plots were used to summarize the results and draw conclusions from the evidence . Of the 8,718 retrieved papers , 23 papers reporting on 15 different study sample s were included in this review . Strong evidence was found for an inverse association between total physical activity and overweight . Moderate evidence was observed for a positive association between television viewing and overweight . Because of the heterogeneity in the assessed dietary behaviours , insufficient evidence was found for an association between  dietary intake or specific dietary behaviours and overweight . These results suggest that interventions aim ing to prevent overweight among preschool children should focus on promotion of total physical activity and limitation of screen time and that further research is needed to establish whether and which dietary behaviours are important for obesity prevention in this age group . However , despite the lack of evidence for dietary behaviours from the present review , future interventions may already target specific dietary behaviours that are highly prevalent and for which there a clear rationale as well as preliminary evidence that these behaviours are associated with overweight Purpose : To explore whether the physical activity ( PA ) component of the Coordinated Approach to Child Health Early Childhood ( CATCH EC ) program helps increasing preschoolers ’ PA during active times at preschool . Design : Nonr and omized controlled experimental study . Setting : Head Start centers in Houston , Texas , 2009 to 2010 school year . Participants : A total of 439 preschoolers aged 3 to 5 years ( 3 intervention centers , n = 220 ; 3 comparison centers , n = 219 ) . Intervention : The CATCH EC preschool-based teacher-led nutrition and PA program . Measures : Preschoolers ’ PA was measured at baseline and postintervention using the  System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time – Preschool version , a direct observation method measuring PA at the classroom level . Parent surveys provided demographic data . Analysis : Pre-to-post changes in preschoolers ’ PA were examined using the Mann-Whitney U test . Results : Results show a significant decrease in the percentage time preschoolers spent in level 2 PA ( low activity ) at intervention ( P = .005 ) and comparison ( P = .041 ) centers . Indoor vigorous activity increased significantly on an average by + 6.04 % pre-to-post intervention among preschoolers in the intervention group ( P = .049 ) ; no significant change was found in the comparison group . Conclusion : The CATCH EC favorably increased indoor vigorous PA level among low-income children attending Head Start A few studies have recently reported that higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with higher volumes of subcortical brain structures in children . It is , however , unknown how different fitness measures relate to shapes of subcortical brain nuclei . We aim ed to examine the association of the main health-related physical fitness components with shapes of subcortical brain structures in a sample of forty-four Spanish children aged 9·7 ( sd 0·2 ) years from the NUtraceuticals for a HEALthier life project . Cardiorespiratory fitness , muscular strength and speed agility were assessed using valid and reliable tests ( ALPHA-fitness test battery ) . Shape of the subcortical brain structures was assessed by MRI , and its relationship with fitness was examined after controlling for a set of potential confounders using a partial correlation permutation approach . Our results showed that all physical fitness components studied were significantly related to the shapes of subcortical brain nuclei . These associations were both positive and negative , indicating that a higher level of fitness in childhood is related to both expansions and contractions in certain regions of the accumbens , amygdala , cau date , hippocampus , pallidum , putamen and thalamus . Cardiorespiratory fitness was mainly associated with expansions , whereas h and grip was mostly associated with contractions in the structures studied . Future r and omised-controlled trials will confirm or contrast our findings , demonstrating whether changes in fitness modify the shapes of brain structures and the extent to which those changes influence cognitive function First , this study aim ed to investigate if four extra physical education ( PE ) lessons per week improved  children 's development in physical fitness . Second , to investigate if the extra PE lessons improved development in physical fitness for children with lower levels of fitness at baseline . This study was a longitudinal controlled school-based study . The study population consisted of 10 Danish public schools with children in preschool to fourth grade ( cohorts 0 - 4 ) with 2.5-year follow-up . Six schools had extra PE and four schools had normal PE . In total 1247 children were included ( normal PE = 536 , extra PE = 711 ) .  Development in fitness was analyzed using a composite z-score from six fitness tests . Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression was used to examine the association between school type and development in fitness .  Extra PE increased the total development of composite z-score units among children enrolled in cohort 4 and borderline in cohort 3 with 1.06 ( 95 % confidence interval 0.48 - 1.65 ) and 0.52 z-score units ( -0.06 to 1.09 ) , respectively . Children in the lower 50 percentiles increased their development with 0.47 ( 0.08 - 0.85 ) z-score units  . Extra PE in schools improved development in fitness for cohort 4 and borderline for cohort 3 among all children . Extra PE  improved fitness development across all cohorts among children with low fitness levels
Motor fitness , particularly balance , was the most studied fitness component , while cardiorespiratory fitness was the least studied .
While we wait for more evidence to be accumulated in preschool children , the PREFIT battery hereby proposed is a useful tool for assessing physical fitness in children aged 3–5 years
Background Physical fitness is a powerful health marker in childhood and adolescence , and it is reasonable to think that it might be just as important in younger children , i.e. preschoolers .
At the moment , research ers , clinicians and sport practitioners do not have enough information about which fitness tests are more reliable , valid and informative from the health point of view to be implemented in preschool children .
Objective Our aim was to systematic ally review the studies conducted in preschool children using field-based fitness tests , and examine their ( 1 ) reliability , ( 2 ) validity , and ( 3 ) relationship with health outcomes .
Our ultimate goal was to propose a field-based physical fitness-test battery to be used in preschool children .
After analyzing the information retrieved in the current systematic review about fitness testing in preschool children , we propose the PREFIT battery , field-based FITness testing in PREschool children .