Physical inactivity and change in body composition in high school students in relation with their grades

Introduction: Obesity and the decrease in physical activity are effective in the increase of cardiovascular risk in childhood and adolescence.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the physical activity of high school students and their grades and the relationship between the change in body composition and their grades.Materials and Methods: A sum of 120 students took part in this study, 30 from each grade. Weight, height, waist circumference and skinfolds (biceps, triceps, subscapularis and suprailiac) were measured. The level of physical activity was assessed through IPAQ short form. The statistic programme package utilized was SPSS 11.0 for Windows.Results: A significant difference among the grades was not detected with reference to the existence of obesity and waist circumference measurement values (p>0.05). However, as to the measurement values of waist circumference, the figures concerning the male students were significantly higher than those concerning the female students (p=0.001). In biceps and subscapularis values, no difference among the grades was seen; on the other hand, the figures concerning the female students seemed to be significantly higher than those concerning the male students on the statistical level (p=0.001, 0.028). In triceps measurement values, a significant difference among the grades and among the sexes was detected (p=0.038, 0.018). When grade and sex interaction was researched, it was seen that the triseps measurement values of female and male students in the 11th grade decreased significantly (p=0.048). With respect to suprailiac measurement values, no significant difference among the sexes and the grades was detected. As to the evaluation of sedentary life, no significant difference among the sexes and the grades was seen. No statistically significant difference in the level of physical activity among the sexes (p=0.593) and among the grades (p=0.095, 0.327) was measured. When it comes to the level of physical activity in each grade, the level of physical activity in female students in the 9th and 10th grades was proved to be significantly lower than that of the male students(p = 0.004, 0.003). No significant difference was seen between the two sexes in the 11th grade (p=0.113); whereas, it was detected that the male students in the 12th grade were significantly more active than their female peers (p=0.019).Conclusion: A significant decrease in the level of physical activity was seen in adolescents studying at a high school. No change in their body composition components, especially in BMI, (except the triseps skin fold measurement value) was detected related to their grades.Keywords: Adolescents, Physical Activity, Body Composition