Health-related physical fitness in Colombian schoolchildren: morphological, musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory components assessed using the ALPHA-Fitness battery
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v83.119696Keywords:
ALPHA-Fitness battery, body composition, cardiorespiratory capacity, physical fitness, schoolchildrenAbstract
Introduction: Health-related physical fitness comprises morphological, musculoskeletal, and cardiorespiratory components whose combined assessment allows for a broader characterization of school-aged students' physical performance.
Objective: To evaluate these components using the ALPHA-Fitness battery, compare results according to sex, and analyze the associations among the variables measured.
Methodology: A quantitative, observational, and cross-sectional study was conducted with 377 students from sixth to eleventh grade, aged 10 to 20 years. Height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, skinfold thickness, handgrip strength, standing long jump performance, and Course Navette test performance were measured. Comparisons were performed using Welch's tests, confidence intervals, and effect sizes; correlations among the indicators were also calculated.
Discussion: No relevant differences were found in body mass index. Female students showed higher skinfold thickness values, whereas male students obtained higher values in handgrip strength, standing long jump, and Course Navette performance, with large effect sizes.
Conclusions: Body mass index and skinfold thickness were negatively associated with cardiorespiratory performance, while handgrip strength was positively associated with standing long jump performance. The findings demonstrate the usefulness of a multidimensional assessment for guiding institutional monitoring, without establishing causality or providing clinical diagnoses.
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