edoc

Fitness, Stress, and Body Composition in Primary Schoolchildren

Gerber, Markus and Endes, Katharina and Herrmann, Christian and Colledge, Flora and Brand, Serge and Donath, Lars and Faude, Oliver and Pühse, Uwe and Hanssen, Henner and Zahner, Lukas. (2017) Fitness, Stress, and Body Composition in Primary Schoolchildren. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 49 (3). pp. 581-587.

Full text not available from this repository.

Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/54163/

Downloads: Statistics Overview

Abstract

Purpose: A better understanding of how social and environmental contexts affect childhood overweight/obesity is needed to develop more effective prevention strategies. Because the relationship between physical activity, stress, and obesity measures has received limited attention, this study examined for the first time in first-grade schoolchildren whether physical activity and fitness moderate the relationship between psychosocial stress and obesity-related measures. Methods: A total of 325 children (51% girls, M-age = 7.3 yr) took part in this cross-sectional study. Stress (critical life events, family, peer, and school-related stress) and vigorous physical activity were assessed via parental reports. Fitness was assessed with the 20-m shuttle run test. Body mass index, sum of skinfolds, and waist circumference were used as obesity-related outcomes. Hierarchical regression analyses were calculated to test whether fitness and physical activity act as stress buffers, using sex, age, and parental education as covariates. Results: Children experiencing elevated school-related stress had lower body mass index, body fat, and waist circumferences if they had high fitness and physical activity levels, as compared with their less active and fit peers. Few significant interaction effects occurred for the other stress measures, although the findings trended in a similar direction for peer stress. Conclusion: This study shows that high fitness is associated with less unfavorable body composition among children with elevated school stress. Our findings indicate that policies aimed at reducing overweight and obesity should include the promotion of physical activity both inside and outside the school context. Moreover, our findings highlight the importance of strengthening children's capacities to cope successfully with school-related pressures.
Faculties and Departments:03 Faculty of Medicine > Departement Sport, Bewegung und Gesundheit > Bereich Sport- und Bewegungsmedizin > Präventive Sportmedizin (Hanssen)
03 Faculty of Medicine > Departement Sport, Bewegung und Gesundheit > Bereich Sportwissenschaft > Sportwissenschaften (Pühse)
03 Faculty of Medicine > Departement Sport, Bewegung und Gesundheit > Bereich Bewegungs- und Trainingswissenschaft > Trainingswissenschaften (Zahner)
03 Faculty of Medicine > Bereich Psychiatrie (Klinik) > Erwachsenenpsychiatrie UPK > Klinische Stress- und Traumaforschung (Holsboer-Trachsler)
03 Faculty of Medicine > Departement Klinische Forschung > Bereich Psychiatrie (Klinik) > Erwachsenenpsychiatrie UPK > Klinische Stress- und Traumaforschung (Holsboer-Trachsler)
07 Faculty of Psychology > Departement Psychologie > Society & Choice > Entwicklungs- und Persönlichkeitspsychologie (Grob)
03 Faculty of Medicine > Departement Sport, Bewegung und Gesundheit > Bereich Sportwissenschaft > Sport und psychosoziale Gesundheit (Gerber)
UniBasel Contributors:Donath, Lars and Gerber, Markus and Colledge, Flora and Hanssen, Henner and Herrmann, Christian and Zahner, Lukas and Brand, Serge and Endes, Katharina and Pühse, Uwe
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
ISSN:0195-9131
e-ISSN:1530-0315
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
Identification Number:
Last Modified:15 Aug 2020 03:11
Deposited On:05 Oct 2017 07:14

Repository Staff Only: item control page