TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in Catalan Adolescents’ Agility over Two Decades
T2 - A Temporal Trend Study
AU - Arboix-Alió, Jordi
AU - Peralta-Geis, Mariona
AU - Morales, Jose
AU - Moragas, Marta
AU - Buscà, Bernat
AU - Solà, Josep
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - Physical fitness is considered an important indicator of health in adolescents. Despite the recognized benefits of regular physical activity, recent studies indicate a decline in physical fitness among adolescents, including agility, a key component of fitness often overlooked in research. This study aimed to investigate trends in agility among urban Catalan adolescents over two decades. A total of 1439 students, aged 13–15 years, participated in the 8 × 10 m shuttle run test between 2002 and 2022. The results revealed a significant decline in agility performance across both boys (F(3,839) = 392, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.584) and girls (F(3,593) = 414, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.677) over time, with notable differences observed between consecutive five-year periods. The findings underscore the urgency of addressing declining physical fitness among adolescents and advocate for enhanced physical education programs and community-based interventions to promote regular physical activity. Recognizing the importance of agility and other aspects of physical fitness in adolescent health, policymakers, educators, and healthcare professionals are urged to collaborate on initiatives to mitigate the risk of future health issues. Further research is recommended to explore the multifaceted influences on adolescent physical fitness and develop targeted interventions to improve overall health outcomes in this population.
AB - Physical fitness is considered an important indicator of health in adolescents. Despite the recognized benefits of regular physical activity, recent studies indicate a decline in physical fitness among adolescents, including agility, a key component of fitness often overlooked in research. This study aimed to investigate trends in agility among urban Catalan adolescents over two decades. A total of 1439 students, aged 13–15 years, participated in the 8 × 10 m shuttle run test between 2002 and 2022. The results revealed a significant decline in agility performance across both boys (F(3,839) = 392, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.584) and girls (F(3,593) = 414, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.677) over time, with notable differences observed between consecutive five-year periods. The findings underscore the urgency of addressing declining physical fitness among adolescents and advocate for enhanced physical education programs and community-based interventions to promote regular physical activity. Recognizing the importance of agility and other aspects of physical fitness in adolescent health, policymakers, educators, and healthcare professionals are urged to collaborate on initiatives to mitigate the risk of future health issues. Further research is recommended to explore the multifaceted influences on adolescent physical fitness and develop targeted interventions to improve overall health outcomes in this population.
KW - adolescents’ habits
KW - adolescents’ health
KW - physical activity
KW - trends
KW - urban health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205218000&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/app14188290
DO - 10.3390/app14188290
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85205218000
SN - 2076-3417
VL - 14
JO - Applied Sciences (Switzerland)
JF - Applied Sciences (Switzerland)
IS - 18
M1 - 8290
ER -