ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EXTRACURRICULAR SPORTS PARTICIPATION, AEROBIC CAPACITY, AND BODY COMPOSITION IN BRAZILIAN ADOLESCENTS FROM A PRIVATE SCHOOL

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between extracurricular sports participation, aerobic capacity, and body composition in school adolescents. This cross-sectional study included 132 adolescents (mean age 12.6 ± 1.2 years; BMI: 20.8 ± 3.7 kg/m²; 43.2% females) from a private school in Natal, Brazil, of whom 87 participated in extracurricular sports and 45 did not. Sports participation was assessed using the Questionnaire for Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Assessment in Adolescents. Aerobic capacity was measured with the 20-meter shuttle run test, while body composition was evaluated through body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (%BF). All tests were classified into healthy and unhealthy fitness zones according to the FitnessGram. Poisson regression with robust variance estimated the prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for unhealthy fitness levels. The prevalence of inadequate aerobic capacity, BMI, and %BF was 23.5%, 31.8%, and 47.7%, respectively. Adolescents not engaged in extracurricular sports showed a higher prevalence of unhealthy aerobic capacity compared to their sports-active peers, even after adjusting for BMI (PR: 2.59; 95% CI: 1.53–4.40; P<0.001) or %BF (PR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.14–3.40; P=0.015). No significant association was found between sports participation and BMI or %BF (P>0.05). It can be concluded that participation in extracurricular sports is associated with a lower prevalence of inadequate aerobic capacity among school-aged adolescents, regardless of body composition. These results suggest that promoting extracurricular sports may be a relevant strategy to improve aerobic capacity and promote adolescent health in schools.