We developed plank test standards, based on trunk lean mass-to-fat mass (LM/FM) ratio, in a sample of healthy Portuguese 10--18 year olds (n = 474, 46.4% female). Height and weight were measured and muscular endurance was assessed using the prone plank test. Trunk LM/FM ratio was determined using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Plank standards…

This study examined the predictive validity of musculoskeletal fitness tests for identifying sarcopenia in youth. The sample was 529 participants age 10 to 18 years. Indices included: total lean body mass (LBM) normalized for height (LBM index, LBMI, kg/m2), appendicular LBMI (aLBMI, kg/m[superscript 2]), and LBM to fat body mass (FBM) ratio…

Purpose: Physical education (PE) is an important context for promoting health-related cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in youth. Within PE, the lesson context and teacher behavior may be relevant for the promotion CRF; however, evidence is scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess whether students' CRF improvement in a school year…

Background: Obesity has serious psychosocial consequences for youth and family members and has reached epidemic levels in Portugal. Objective: This study had two goals: (1) to investigate differences in family cohesion, mothers' quality of life (QoL), and externalizing/internalizing symptoms between children/adolescents with healthy-weight and…

The growing competitiveness of modern sport means that children, from very early ages, are increasingly submitted to intensive training programmes. These programmes are problematic for young athletes not only because their developing bodies are particularly susceptible to different kinds of injuries, but because athletes are also particularly…

The purpose of this study was to examine youth physical activity (PA) in free-time periods during high school days and their contribution to total PA. Differences in terms of sex, age, body mass index and school level were assessed in a sample of Portuguese adolescents. Participants totalled 213 (135 girls), aged 14.6 ± 1.7, from two different…

Background: Children spend most of their awake time at school, and it is important to identify individual and school-level correlates of their physical activity (PA) levels. This study aimed to identify the between-school variability in Portuguese children PA and to investigate student and school PA correlates using multilevel modeling. Methods:…

This study aimed to analyze the effects of an intervention strategy during the school recess on physical activity (PA) levels, by gender, age and body mass index (BMI). The sample comprises 158 Portuguese children aged 6 to 12 years. Weight and height were objectively measured. PA was assessed by accelerometry during the recess in pre-intervention…

The feeding habits acquired during childhood and adolescence have important implications on the health state of individuals, and their physical and emotional well-being. According to WHO (1993), one of the most serious problems that young people face is the excessive consumption of certain types of food that are less healthy. On the other side,…