OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and indicators of body adiposity in adolescents of both genders. METHODS: 78 subjects (45 boys and 33 girls) were evaluated for body mass, height and triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness. Body mass index and the sum of the two skinfolds thickness were determined. The cardiorespiratory fitness was determined by the maximal multistage 20 meters shuttle run test, and the estimate of maximal oxygen uptake was evaluated by a specific equation. Groups were compared by Mann-Whitney test. The Spearman correlation index was applied to verify the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and the indicators of body adiposity. RESULTS: The adolescents with high cardiorespiratory fitness presented lower values of body fat than their peers with low cardiorespiratory fitness (p<0.05), with differences varying between 36 to 42% for boys and 14 to 33% for girls. Statistically significant negative and moderate correlations were noted between the indicators of cardiorespiratory fitness and the body adiposity for both genders, with the exception of body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the body adiposity may have a negative influence on the cardiorespiratory fitness of adolescents of both genders.
physical fitness; adiposity; adolescent health
