Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of physical fitness (PF) on the development
of subcutaneous adipose tissue in children followed longitudinally over a 9 year period ranging
from childhood to adolescence.
Design: This longitudinal study followed 518 healthy participants (262 boys, 256 girls) over a 9-year period
ranging from childhood (age 6) to adolescence (age 15). Adiposity (triceps and subscapular skinfolds),
and fitness (60 s sit-ups, flexed arm hang, standing long jump, 50mdash, 10mshuttle run, sit-and-reach,
and 20mpacer run) were assessed at four annual time points during primary school, and on a follow up,
6 years later, during secondary school.
Methods: Growth in subcutaneous fat was modeled within a HLM statistical framework, using fitness
components as time changing predictors.
Results: Flexed arm hang (ˇ =−0.059; p = 0.000), standing long jump (ˇ =−0.072; p = 0.000), 60 s sit-ups
(ˇ =−0.041; p = 0.040), 50mdash (ˇ = 0.956; p = 0.000), and 20mPACER (ˇ =−0.077; p = 0.000) tests, were
found to predict changes on body fat growth over the years, independently of sex.
Conclusions: Improving PF individual levels can positively influence adiposity deposition over the time
period covering childhood and adolescence. That occurs independently of the typical sex differentiated adiposity growth.
