Relationship between body composition and selected motor components in 17-year-old adolescents residing in the city of Poznań in Poland

Study aim: The objective of this study was to determine differences in body composition status and levels of selected motor components and assess the relationship between selected motor components and body composition in adolescent girls and boys.

Material and methods: The study participants were 42 girls and 49 boys from a secondary school in the city of Poznan in Po­land who were participating in the “Active not only online” project. The percentage of body components was evaluated using a bio-impedance method. The modified Eurofit battery of tests was used to assess selected motor components.

Results: The prevalence of overweight was higher (12.3%) in boys than girls (2.4%), and girls were more frequently under­weight (16.7%) than boys (6.1%). The results of the study show higher selected motor component levels in girls than in boys when compared to standardized population norms. BMI correlated positively with 20-m shuttle run (r = 0.45, p < 0.05) in girls and with sit and reach (r = 0.30, p < 0.05) in boys, with ‘hand grip’ strength both in girls (r = 0.35, p < 0.05) and boys (r = 0.29, p < 0.05), and was related to percentage of body fat in girls (r = 0.33, p < 0.05) and boys (r = 0.42, p > 0.05).

Conclusions: The findings showed that sex and body composition are important factors influencing physical fitness in adoles­cents. We suggest that these factors be considered when designing physical activity interventions.