[Comparison of Health-related Behavior Patterns of Boys and Girls in Germany: Results of the MoMo Study]

AIM OF THE STUDY

For optimal health promotion in adolescents, it is important to know their typical behavior patterns. The aims of this study were to identify and compare sex-specific health-related behavior patterns of adolescents in Germany.

METHODS

The KiGGS Survey and the MoMo Study assessed the health behavior of 832 boys and 811 girls by means of a questionnaire. The indices physical activity, diet quality and media use were included in cluster analyses for boys and girls separately.

RESULTS

For each sex, 4 clusters with similar characteristics on the three included indices were identified. However, cluster size, level of the characteristics and correlates were different in boys and girls: fewer girls showed high activity levels. Overall, physical activity and media use were less pronounced in the behavior pattern of girls. There was a stronger association of behavior patterns with socio-economic status in girls. In boys, behavior patterns were significantly associated with prevalence of overweight.

CONCLUSIONS

The similar cluster solutions for boys and girls support the assumption that there are typical health-related behavior patterns among German adolescents. This finding might facilitate the precise definition of homogeneous target groups for health promotion programs. Furthermore, it seems that sex-specific foci should be set.

Age- and sex-dependent disparity in physical fitness between obese and normal weight children and adolescents

AIM

Aim of the present study was to determine whether the association between obesity and physical fitness in children and adolescents is age- and sex-specific.

METHODS

A total of 4519 children and adolescents aged 4-17 years grouped by age (4-5, 6-10, 11-13 and 14-17 years), sex and BMI (normal-weight: BMI≤90th percentile; overweight: BMI>90th percentile; adipose: BMI>97th percentile) participated in this large-scale representative cross-sectional study. Endurance, strength, flexibility and fine and gross motor coordination was measured using the following physical fitness tests: PWC170, push-ups test, standing long-jumps, side-to-side jumps, one-minute single leg stance on the dominant leg, balancing backwards on three beams of different width, lowest point reached by the fingertips while standing on a box with legs extended, reaction to colour changes of traffic light, tracing lines without touching the rim and sorting 25 pens.

RESULTS

Overweight and obese boys and girls had lower physical fitness values describing endurance, strength and gross motor coordination than normal-weight boys and girls, respectively (P<0.001 for all; boys: -12% and -19%, respectively; girls: -9% and -19%, respectively). Differences in physical fitness between weight groups were greater in older groups (P<0.001). Fine motor skills and flexibility values did not differ between weight groups.

CONCLUSION

The disparity in physical fitness, in particular in endurance, strength and gross motor coordination, between obese and normalweight is greater in adolescents than in children. Physical fitness programs are warranted for all overweight and obese children and adolescents but especially for overweight and obese adolescents.

[Relationship between physical activity and health in children and adolescents. Results of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) and the "Motorik-Modul" (MoMo)]

The question of whether physical activity is associated with positive aspects of health becomes increasingly more important in the light of the health status in today's children and adolescents and due to the changing lifestyle with respect to everyday activity. The German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) collected the first set of nationwide representative cross-sectional data to examine the relationship between health and physical activity. Taking sociodemographic parameters into consideration, the results suggest a positive association between self-estimated general health and several types of physical activity. The results vary with respect to gender and type of physical activity. For methodological reasons, causal conclusions can only be drawn after longitudinal data of the second wave of KiGGS are available.

Körperlich-sportliche Aktivität von Kindern und Jugendlichen in Deutschland

Regular physical activity has a positive effect on health and wellbeing at any age. For this reason, sports and exercise enhancing measures are inherent parts of public health in Germany. The German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) provides a nationally representative database which allows a comprehensive analysis of physical activity behaviour among young people. This may support the planning and implementation of health intervention measures. Primary results of KiGGS indicate that most children aged 3 to 10 years regularly go in for sports: around three quarters of girls and boys go in for sports at least once a week, and even more than one third three times a week or more. Children without sport engagement come disproportionately often from families with low socioeconomic status, with a migration background or from former East Germany. Also among adolescents sports and exercise activity is very common. Among 11-17 year olds, how ever, the current recommendation to conduct physical and or sports activities on most days of the week is only achieved by every fourth boy and every sixth girl. Especially girls with low socioeconomic status and with a migration background show a lack of physical activity. These results underline the importance of sports- and exercise-promoting measures in childhood and adolescence, designed for specific target groups.

Nutzen von sportlicher Aktivität im Erwachsenenalte

This article deals with the question of which longitudinal effect physical activity at the adult age can have on physical fitness and on people's subjective as well as objective state of health. Are persons who are regularly and continuously physically active healthier and fitter than people beginning physical activity at a later age, or than those who have never been physically active at all? The results of the presented longitudinal study, run over a time range of 10 years, with subjects at the middle and later adult age, show that on average physical fitness and subjective health decline with in the analysed time range, but positive effects of physical activity do exist. These show up in a decelerated decline. The constant sportsmen benefit most here, but also a late start with physical activity can improve and stabilize physical fitness and health. Anyway, former physical activity is no guarantee for lifelong fitness and health. The group of the dropouts registers large degradations in both variables after quitting physical activity.

[Examination of motor fitness within the scope of The Child and Adolescent Health Survey]

Several studies indicate that physical performance of children and young people is declining. However, actually available data on physical performance and physical activity of children and young people are not representative and hence no countrywide predictions can be made. The examination of motor fitness in association with development and health of children and young people is indispensable for the implementation of appropriate measures of intervention. The module 'Motoric' in the National Health Survey for Children and Adolescents shall remedy the deficiency of information. For the module, 6,000 children and adolescents, age 4-17 years, will be representatively drawn from the total survey sample. Their physical performance and physical activity will be comprehensively assessed. For this purpose, appropriate tests have been developed. In pilot studies, all methods were tested for practicability, objectivity, reliability, and validity. The application of methods was coordinated between the Robert Koch-Institute and the Institute of Sport and Science of Sports, University of Karlsruhe.