Factors Associated with Physical Fitness among Overweight and Non-Overweight Austrian Secondary School Students

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate factors associated with physical fitness (PF) among overweight and non-overweight Austrian secondary school students. PF was measured using the German motor test (DMT) 6–18 and students were asked about sex, migration background, weekly leisure time physical activity and daily electronic media use. In total 560 adolescents (56.6% female) with a mean age of 15.4 ± 1.4 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 22.5 ± 4.2 kg/m² were evaluated with 130 (23.2%) students classified as overweight or obese. For the total cohort, results of the multiple linear regression analysis (R2 = 0.34) revealed that a younger age (β = −0.16), no migration background (β = 0.13), a lower BMI (β = −0.29), a higher weekly leisure time physical activity (β = 0.34) and a lower daily electronic media use (β = −0.15) were associated with increased PF. Separate regression analyses for non-overweight and overweight students showed similar regression coefficients except for BMI. In conclusion, the positive influence of modifiable factors such as lower BMI, higher self-reported weekly leisure time sports activity and lower self-reported daily electronic media use should be considered already at young ages to increase physical fitness in overweight and non-overweight youth.