What factors affect the change of physical fitness, body composition and physical activity from young childhood to adolescence?

• Project/Area Number: 17K13243
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Childhood science (childhood environment science)
• Research Institution: Ibaraki University
• Principal Investigator: Masashi Watanabe 茨城大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (80435213)
• Research Collaborator: HIKIHARA Yuki ; AOYAMA Tomoko ; WAKABAYASHI Hitoshi ; HANAWA Satoshi ; TANAKA Shigeho
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000)
• Keywords: 子ども / 体力 / 運動スキル / 身体組成 / 身体活動量 / 身体活動 / インタビュー / 骨密度 / トラッキング / 小学生 / 持ち越し効果

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to reveal what factors affect the change of physical fitness, body composition and physical activity from young childhood to adolescence. Subjects were 248 elementary children living in mainly Tokyo, Chiba and Ibaraki, and they participated in longitudinal investigation from 1st grade to 5th grade. At 1st and 5th grade, they were measured physical fitness(aerobic fitness:VO2max), body composition (percent fat:DXA) and motor skills (TGMD-2). In addition, physical activity (accelerometry) was measured every year.
The results were as follows: 1) Adolescent aerobic fitness was affected by young childhood percent fat and aerobic fitness. 2) Adolescent physical activity was affected by young childhood percent fat and motor skills. 3) Adolescent fatness was affected by young childhood percent fat.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

小学校高学年時の体力・運動経験・運動有能感は，中学校期の運動部への加入に影響することが明らかになっている。今回の追跡調査の結果から，小学5年時の体力，体脂肪率，身体活動量には，幼少期の体力，運動スキル，体脂肪率，身体活動量が関係することが確認できた。すなわち幼少期に適切な体型を保ち，体力・運動技能・運動習慣を十分に獲得しておくことが将来の運動参加や健康に影響する。
特に，幼少期の運動スキルの獲得レベルが思春期の身体活動量に影響することから，就学前から，スキップやジャンプといった体を操作する運動技能に加えて，ボールを投げる・捕るなど用具を操作する運動技能を遊びながら獲得できると良いだろう。

Research Products

• [Presentation] What factors during young childhood affect adolescent aerobic fitness in Japanese children? : a 4-year follow-up study (2019)
  • Author(s): Watanabe M, Hikihara Y, Aoyama T. Wakabayashi H, Hanawa S and Tanaka S
  • Organizer: 2019 ASICS SMA Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Earlier acquisition of fundamental motor skills promotes physical activity in Japanese elementary school children: a four-year follow-up study (2019)
  • Author(s): Hikihara Y, Watanabe M, Aoyama T, Wakabayashi H, Hanawa S and Tanaka S
  • Organizer: 2019 ASICS SMA Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research