Health-related physical fitness and nutritional behaviours in 14–17-year-old Spanish secondary school males

Abstract

This paper examines adolescent physical fitness and nutritional behaviours. It is a descriptive study of the analysis of healthrelated physical fitness nutritional behaviours based on a food consumption frequency questionnaire. A total of 194 male participants were divided into subsamples 1, 2, 3 and 4. Anthropometric and physical fitness and nutritional variables were measured. Kolmogorov–Smirnov goodness-of-fit, visual and analytical univariate analyses and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were calculated to determine the inter-variable relationships, confirmed by multiple linear regressions. High fitness test scores were found in subsamples 1 and 2, low in subsample 3 and very low in subsample 4; above average protein and fat consumption, below average carbohydrate intake and total Kcal requirements were met in subsamples 1 and 2 only. The study reveals that the physical fitness score and nutritional behaviours are the highest in 14 and 15-year olds, which declines with increasing age.