Health-related physical fitness according to chronological and biological age in adolescents.: The AVENA study

Aim. Physical fitness has been proposed as a major marker of health status at any age. The aim of the present study was to determine the levels of several health-related physical fitness components with respect to chronological and biological age (sexual maturation status) in Spanish adolescents. Methods. Physical fitness was measured in a sample of Spanish adolescents (N.=2 859; 1357 males, 1 502 females) from the AVENA study, by means of the following tests: sit and reach, handgrip, standing broad jump, bent arm hang, 4x10 m shuttle run, and 20 m shuttle run. Percentage body fat, fat free mass and leisure-time physical activity were used as confounders. Adolescents were classified according to chronological age and biological age (measured by Tanner stages). All the analyses were adjusted for the above-mentioned confounders. Results. Muscular fitness was higher in older adolescents than in younger adolescents. Cardiorespiratory fitness was higher in younger compared to older females, as well as in early puberty compared to late puberty. In males, cardiorespiratory fitness was higher in younger adolescents, but no differences were observed when it was analysed according to sexual maturation status. Conclusion. Normative data for several health-related physical fitness components according to chronological and biological age are provided in this report. Discrepancies between biological and chronological age analysis were higher for cardiorespiratory fitness than for muscular fitness.