Profiles of Physical Fitness Risk Behaviours in School Adolescents from the ASSO Project: A Latent Class Analysis

Garden Tabacchi, Avery Faigenbaum, Monèm Jemni, Ewan Thomas, Laura Capranica, Antonio Palma, Joao Breda and Antonino Bianco
Additional contact information
Garden Tabacchi: Sport and Exercise Sciences Unit, SPPF Department, University of Palermo, Via Giovanni Pascoli 6, 90144 Palermo, Italy
Avery Faigenbaum: Department of Health and Exercise Science, The College of New Jersey, 2000 Pennington Rd Ewing, NJ 08628, USA
Monèm Jemni: ISAFA—International Science and Football Association, 13 Musker Pl, Papworth Everard, Cambridge CB23 3LE, UK
Ewan Thomas: Sport and Exercise Sciences Unit, SPPF Department, University of Palermo, Via Giovanni Pascoli 6, 90144 Palermo, Italy
Laura Capranica: Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, P.za Lauro de Bosis 15, 00135 Rome, Italy
Antonio Palma: Sport and Exercise Sciences Unit, SPPF Department, University of Palermo, Via Giovanni Pascoli 6, 90144 Palermo, Italy
Joao Breda: Division of Non-communicable Diseases and Life-Course, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, UN City, Marmorvej 51, DK, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Antonino Bianco: Sport and Exercise Sciences Unit, SPPF Department, University of Palermo, Via Giovanni Pascoli 6, 90144 Palermo, Italy

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: The aim of the present investigation was to describe profiles of adolescents’ fitness level, identify latent classes of fitness-related risk behaviours, and describe their sociodemographic and environmental predictors. In total, 883 adolescents (16.4 ± 1.4 years; 167.3 ± 10.4 cm; 62.8 ± 13.5 kg; 62.2% males) were assessed for personal and lifestyle information and for physical fitness components. Eleven possible fitness determinants and seven predictors were included. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to determine fitness-related risk behaviours. Logistic regressions predicted class membership and assessed associations with fitness levels and fitness components. Five latent classes were recognised: 1—virtuous, 30.7% of respondents; 2—low physical activity/sport, 18.8%; 3—incorrect alcohol/food habits, 25.8%; 4—health risk/overweight, 15.9%; 5—malaise/diseases, 8.8%. Sex, age, parents’ overweightness/obesity and education, and school type predicted most classes significantly. Compared to class 1, class 2 had higher odds of having all poor fitness components except upper body maximal strength; class 4 had higher risk of low muscular endurance; and class 5 was likely to have lower maximal strength, muscular endurance, and speed/agility. Educating adolescents to reach a sufficient practice of PA/sport could help decreasing the risk of low health-related fitness more than discouraging them from using alcohol, addressing proper food behaviours and habits, and helping them understand their psychophysical malaise symptoms.

Keywords: latent class analysis; physical fitness; health; adolescents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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