Assessment of Physical Performance in Obese, Overweight, and Normal-Weight Children

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat buildup that may affect health . Body mass index(BMI) is the main property to define and classify the obesity . One of the most considerable public health problem of the 21st century is childhood obesity . Based on the worldwide estimation in 2016, 124 million children and adolescents aged between 5 and 19 were obese, and there were 213 million overweight individuals.

The health complications associated with overweight and obesity in childhood-often not noticeable until adulthood-include cardiovascular diseases (particularly heart disease and stroke), diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis), and certain types of cancer (endometrial, breast, and colon). Engaging in screen time of more than 2-3 hours per day reduces physical activity levels and increases food intake in children. A study in Turkey reported that 36.2% of children aged between 6 to 9, spend more than two hours per day watching TV or using a computer on weekdays, and this rate increases to 69.9% on weekends. There are revised regional reference values accessible for the anthropometric assessment of Turkish children. Health-related physical fitness in children is correlated with flexibility, muscular and cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and body composition. Also, performance-related or sport-specific abilities are associated to agility, power, speed, coordination, and balance. Sevimay implemented the motor performance test (agility parameter) in 1986, which is developed by Morris, Atwater, Williams and Wilmore in 1980, on 205 children aged between 3 and 6. In this study, same test is applied to assess motor performance in children. In order to assess static balance with minimal equipment, the One-leg standing test is used. To assess lower extremity motor performance, the 30-Second Sit-to-Stand Test was used . Evaluation of physical performance levels of obese, overweight, and normal-weight children is the aim of this study.