Assessment of physical performance in obese, overweight and normal-weight children

Abstract

Objective: Childhood overweight and obesity are associated with impairments in motor performance components such as balance, agility, and lower extremity strength. This study aimed to classify obesity levels in primary school children aged 6–11 years using Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and to compare motor performance characteristics across these groups.Method: This cross-sectional study included 201 primary school children aged 6–11 years (mean age: 8.61±1.32 years) who applied to a Healthy Living Center. Anthropometric measurements included height, body weight, waist and hip circumferences, from which BMI and WHtR were calculated. Children were classified as normal weight, overweight, or obese according to BMI and grouped according to the presence of abdominal obesity based on WHtR. Motor performance was assessed using standardized protocols including single-leg balance, agility, standing long jump, and the 30-second sit-to-stand test.Results: Among the children, 29.4% had normal weight, 14.9% were overweight, and 55.7% were obese, and 71.6% also had abdominal obesity. No significant differences were found between sexes in terms of BMI and WHtR (p>0.05). Higher BMI and WHtR values were significantly associated with prolonged agility performance and decreased standing long jump distance and sit-to-stand repetitions (p<0.001). In addition, BMI was a significant predictor of motor performance (p<0.001).Conclusion: General and abdominal obesity negatively affect motor performance in primary school children, particularly agility and lower extremity strength. These findings underline the need for early screening and intervention strategies for obesity-related motor performance impairments in primary school children.