Physical fitness profile of primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

BACKGROUND

Low levels of physical activity in high- to low-income countries, including South Africa, pose a great risk of cardiovascular-related diseases.

AIM: This study aimed to assess and compare the physical fitness profile among children.

SETTING

The study setting comprised rural and urban primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was adopted utilising a randomly selected sample of boys and girls aged 9-14 years. Physical fitness measures were assessed using the Euro-fit test battery. Some parametric tests were used for mean comparisons of the various anthropometric measurements and physical fitness characteristics across demographics.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 870 primary school learners. The average weight and height of the sample were 39.29 ± 10.34 kg and 144.06 ± 10.81 cm, respectively, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 18.80 ± 4.11 kg/m2. The results showed that boys reported significantly high levels of physical fitness. Sit-ups (p ≤ 0.001) and VO2 max (p ≤ 0.001) significantly increase with age, while all the physical fitness measures were significantly higher among rural-based learners.

CONCLUSION

Rural-based learners and boys generally had better physical fitness performance than their peers. The effect of gender and place of residence should be considered when designing physical fitness interventions.

CONTRIBUTION: This study adds to the existing body of knowledge about the effect of demographic factors on the physical fitness profile of children, where boys and rural-based learners are reported to be more physically fit than their counterparts.