Cular fitness with psychological positive health, health complaints, and health risk behaviors in 690 (n = 322 girls) Spanish children and adolescents (6–17.9 years old). Lower body muscular strength was assessed with the standing long jump test, and upper-body muscular strength was assessed with the throw basketball test. A muscular fitness index was computed by means of standardized measures of both tests. Psychosocial positive health, health complaints, and health risk behaviors were self-reported using the items of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children questionnaire. Psychological positive health indicators included the following: perceived health status, life satisfaction, quality of family relationships, quality of peer relationships, and academic performance. We computed a health complaints index from 8 registered symptoms: headache, stomach ache, backache, feeling low, irritability or bad temper, feeling nervous, difficulties getting to sleep, and feeling dizzy. The health risk behavior indicators studied included tobacco use, alcohol use, and getting drunk. Children and adolescents with low muscular fitness (below the mean) had a higher odds ratio (OR) of reporting fair (vs. excellent) perceived health status, low life satisfaction (vs. very happy), low quality of family relationships (vs. very good), and low academic performance (vs. very good). Likewise, children and adolescents having low muscular fitness had a significantly higher OR of reporting smoking tobacco sometimes (vs. never), drinking alcohol sometimes (vs. never), and getting drunk sometimes (vs. never). The results of this study suggest a link between muscular fitness and psychological positive health and health risk behavior indicators in children and adolescents....

Background: Positive health is likely a buffer against physical and mental illness. Positive health may explain some of the health benefits associated with increasing cardiorespiratory fitness and decreasing fatness in youth. We examined the association of cardiorespiratory fitness and fatness with positive health indicators in 684 (365 boys and 319 girls) Spanish children aged 6–17.9 years. Methods: Positive health indicators were self-reported using items of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children questionnaire. The study health indicators were: perceived health status, life satisfaction, quality of family relationships, quality of peer relationships and academic performance. Weight and height were measured and body mass index was computed. We also measured triceps and calf skinfolds thickness and body fat percentage was estimated. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured by the 20 m shuttle-run test. Results: Cardiorespiratory fitness was positively associated with life satisfaction in children and adolescents. Fatness was inversely associated with perceived health status in children and adolescents, whereas fatness was inversely associated with life satisfaction, quality of family relationships and academic performance only in children. Conclusion: These findings suggest a link between cardiorespiratory fitness and fatness and positive health indicators, suggesting that improving both fitness and fatness could exert a favourable effect on positive health during childhood and adolescence.

The aims of this study were (i) to examine the sedentary time (ST) during different time periods [i.e., weekend, out-of-school weekdays hours, school hours, recess, physical education classes (PEC)] in children and adolescents; (ii) to identify 2-year longitudinal changes in the ST for these periods; and (iii) to examine if ST at baseline is associated with ST 2 years later. This was a 2-year follow-up study with 826 (51.9% boys) children and 678 (50.7% boys) adolescents. Accelerometers were used to assess ST. Students spent more than 60% of their weekend, out-of-school hours and school hours in ST. During these periods, girls and adolescents were more sedentary than boys and children, respectively (p < 0.05). Over 2-year follow-up, ST increased during the weekend, out-of-school hours, school hours and recess in all subgroups studied (p < 0.001). ST during PEC declined 2% per year in children (p < 0.001) but it increased in adolescents (p < 0.05). ST during the periods analysed at baseline was lowly associated with ST during these periods 2 years later (intraclass correlations from <0.001 to 0.364). Interventions in these settings may be adequate if the intention is to avoid ST increase in students.