Considering the exposition to health risks obese adolescents are submitted, the need exists to perform sound essays about the matter. This project aimed to explore relations between excess of body weight and fitness in adolescents. It is a cohort study, taking body mass index (BMI) as independent variable, and abdominal endurance, strength of lower limbs, flexibility and agility as dependent ones. Interest data were collected in two different opportunities (at beginning of two successive years), according to specific test. Profile analysis was performed and complemented by construction of simultaneous confidence intervals at a 5% level. A 21.42% prevalence of excess body weight was detected, this being associated to: a) decreased abdominal endurance and strength of lower limbs and no evolution in agility averages, in boys; b) decreased abdominal endurance and agility in girls, in the beginning of the considered period. Comparison between the two assessments showed that: agility of girls with adequate body weight decreased significantly; abdominal endurance increased in boys even with excess of body weight; agility became better in boys with lower BMI. Averages of abdominal endurance, strength of lower limbs and agility were also significantly increased in boys. Discussion is focused on the need to prescribe physical activities to adolescents strictly based on body composition and gender.
Adolescents; Physical fitness; Body composition
