The relationship between physical activity levels and physical fitness of 13-15 year old girls in the North-West Province of South Africa

The aim of this research was to investigate possible relationships between physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) of girls (13-15yrs) in the North-West Province in South Africa. A singular cross-section research design was used. 13-15 year old girls (n=290) who were part of a bigger survey (N=1257) between the ages of 10-15yrs were randomly selected out of 44 schools in the North-West Province. The girls were classified as low, moderate or high active by means of the PDPAR (previous day physical activity recall; Trost et al, 1999). Physical fitness was tested by means of a physical fitness battery test (Docherty, 1996; Wood, 1997) consisting of abdominal strength, handgrip strength, bent arm hang, flexibility and VO2 max tests. 73.3% girls were classified as low active with the Statistica for Windows (Statsoft, 1999) computer package. No significant relationships could be found between physical activity and physical fitness of 13-15 year old girls, although a regression analysis showed that physical fitness contributed to VO2 max. A high level of physical activity, strength endurance and a low fat percentage showed a positive relationship with cardiovascular fitness.