Associations between Physical Activity and Fitness, Body Composition and Cognitive Skills during Growth and Maturation

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 1180

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Sports Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Ujula 4, 51008 Tartu, Estonia
Interests: paediatric exercise science; physical activity and fitness; body composition; growth and maturation; energy homeostasis; paediatric endocrinology; training monitoring

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Sport Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 51008 Tartu, Estonia
Interests: physical activity and fitness; body composition; cognitive skills; motor skill development; growth and maturation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are organizing a Special Issue focused on the associations between physical activity and fitness, body composition, and cognitive development in childhood to expand our understanding of the complexity of growth and maturation in children. It is a rather well-established fact that physical activity plays a crucial role in promoting the physical and mental health of children, while increased sedentary lifestyles in recent years have negatively influenced physical fitness development and health. Physical activity has a positive role in the development of cognitive abilities. The positive influence of physical fitness parameters on cognitive competence has also been studied. Accordingly, we welcome manuscripts that offer novel insights into the associations between different measures of physical activity and fitness, body composition, and cognitive abilities in children from early age to adolescence. We are especially interested in manuscripts that describe the longitudinal influence of physical activity and fitness on cognitive development and different health markers later in childhood. This Special Issue is open to any subject area in the complex interaction of different health parameters during growth and maturation. The potential topics listed suggest just a few of the many possibilities.

Potential topics included, but are not limited to:

  • Associations of physical activity and fitness with health parameters during growth and maturation;
  • Associations of physical activity and fitness with cognitive abilities during growth and maturation;
  • Associations of parental education and socio-economic status with health parameters during growth and maturation;
  • Importance of parental education in the development of physical fitness and cognitive abilities during growth and maturation;
  • Importance of physical activity and fitness in psychological well-being during growth and maturation;
  • Importance of physical activity and fitness in motor skill development during growth and maturation.

Prof. Dr. Jaak Jürimäe
Dr. Eva Maria Riso
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • maturation
  • physical activity
  • sedentary time
  • physical fitness
  • body composition
  • cognitive abilities
  • obesity
  • parental education

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

11 pages, 2290 KiB  
Article
The Similarity Degree of the Anthropometric and Body Composition Variables of Brazilian and Mozambican Schoolchildren: A New Approach Using the Smoothed Jaccard Index Surface
by André Luiz de Góes Pacheco, Willian Motta Bocanegra, Élida Karina de Lira Ferreira, Rayssa Temudo dos Santos, Patrícia Miller Simões, Eulálio Malinga, Euclides da Conceição Guiliche, Arsénio Fernando José Isaías, Isabele Góes Nobre, João Henrique da Costa Silva, Wylla Tatiana Ferreira e Silva, Eduardo Padrón-Hernandez, Luciano Pirola, Rafael dos Santos Henrique and Carol Góis Leandro
Children 2024, 11(7), 804; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070804 - 30 Jun 2024
Viewed by 710
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Brazil and Mozambique face similar socioeconomic challenges, including common indicators of undernutrition and overnutrition among children. This study evaluated the similarity degree of the anthropometric and body composition variables of Brazilian and Mozambican children by using the Jaccard index. Methods: A total [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Brazil and Mozambique face similar socioeconomic challenges, including common indicators of undernutrition and overnutrition among children. This study evaluated the similarity degree of the anthropometric and body composition variables of Brazilian and Mozambican children by using the Jaccard index. Methods: A total of 1831 children of both genders aged 7–10 years from three Brazilian cities (Recife, Vitoria de Santo Antao, and Lagoa do Carro) and three Mozambican cities (Maputo, Boane, and Inhambane) participated in this study. Anthropometric (height, body mass, and waist circumference) and body composition (body fat percentage [%BF], lean mass, and fat mass) variables were measured and the Smoothed Jaccard Index Surface (SJIS) was used to evaluate the similarity degree. Results: Brazilian children were taller and heavier and had a higher %BF and fat mass than Mozambican children. Children living in urban areas were taller than those living in rural zones in both countries. Brazilian and Mozambican children showed high similarity only between %BF and lean mass. Children from Recife and Maputo had high similarities among waist circumference, body mass, fat mass, height, and %BF. Finally, a high SJIS degree was observed among height and %BF for schoolchildren from rural and urban zones. Conclusion: Brazilian and Mozambican children exhibit differences in growth characteristics but a high degree of similarity when children from rural and urban zones are compared. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop