The DOI matches its Crossref record; 82 of the 82 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Is Muscular Fitness Associated with Future Health Benefits in Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies
Abstract
Background No previous systematic review has quantitatively examined the association between muscular fitness during childhood and adolescence and health parameters later in life.Objective The aim was to systematically review and meta-analyze the current evidence for a prospective association between muscular fitness in childhood and adolescence and future health status.Methods Two authors systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and SPORTDiscus electronic databases and conducted manual searching of reference lists of selected articles. Relevant articles were identified by the following criteria: apparently healthy children and adolescents aged 3-18 years with muscular fitness assessed at baseline (e.g., handgrip, standing long jump, sit-ups, among others), and a follow-up period of ≥ 1 year. The outcome measures were anthropometric and adiposity measurements and cardiometabolic, bone and musculoskeletal health parameters. Two authors independently extracted data.Results Thirty studies were included in the meta-analysis, yielding a total of 21,686 participants. The meta-analysis found a significant, moderate-large (p < 0.05) effect size between muscular fitness at baseline and body mass index (r = - 0.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) - 0.21 to - 0.07), skinfold thickness (r = - 0.32; 95% CI - 0.40 to - 0.23), homeostasis model assessment estimated insulin resistance (r = - 0.10; 95% CI - 0.16 to - 0.05), triglycerides (r = - 0.22; 95% CI - 0.30 to - 0.13), cardiovascular disease risk score (r = - 0.29; 95% CI - 0.39 to - 0.18), and bone mineral density (r = 0.166; 95% CI 0.086 to 0.243) at follow-up.Conclusion A prospective negative association was observed between muscular fitness in childhood/adolescence and adiposity and cardiometabolic parameters in later life, together with a positive association for bone health. There is inconclusive evidence for low back pain benefits.
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“Children and adolescents with better muscular fitness (eg, gained through exercises involving hand grip, standing, long jump and sit-ups) were shown to have better health outcomes (ie, lower levels of BMI and body fat, improvement in insulin resistance and lower levels of cardiovascular disease risk) in later life.68”
From Physical activity and health in Chinese children and adolescents: expert consensus statement (2020) (2020) · cites this paper as [68]
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Martinko, A., Jurak, G., Starc, G., & Sorić, M. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-11038732/v1
Paucar-Uribe, J. D., Becerra-Patiño, B. A., Gaya, A. R., Yang, Z., Solis‐Urra, P., Mello, J. B., López-Gil, J. F., Castro‐Piñero, J., & Arancibia, J. E. O. (2026) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1885114
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“Numerous studies have shown that CRF is a reliable indicator for current and particularly future health [7, 8].”
Pereira, S., Guimarães, E., Santos, C., Vasconcelos, O., Dias, C., Garganta, R., Freitas, D., Antunes, A., Condessa, I., Tani, G., et al. (2026) · Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology · doi:10.3390/jfmk11040439
Li, H., Zhao, W., Hu, X., Wan, F., Dong, P., & Zhang, W. (2026) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1880097
“This distinction matters because physical fitness in early childhood has been shown to predict cardiometabolic risk profiles in later life independently of concurrent physical activity levels (48, 49).”
Pediatric Powerpenia: Conceptual Framework, Clinical Relevance, and Future Directions
Calcaterra, V., Marin, L., Patanè, P., Guardamagna, L., Rossi, V., Maugeri, P., Spiteri, K., Vandoni, M., & Zuccotti, G. (2026) · Children · doi:10.3390/children13111494
Metadata
- Authors
- García-Hermoso, A., Ramírez-Campillo, R., & Izquierdo, M.
- Venue
- Sports Medicine
- Published
- 2019-04-05
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1079-1094
- ISSN
- 0112-1642 (ISSN-L)
- 1179-2035
- OpenAlex
- W2935554824
- Cited by
- 512
- References
- 82
- Citations by year
- 2026: 45 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 81 · 2023: 75 · 2022: 90 · 2021: 93 · 2020: 57 · 2019: 14
- FWCI
- 7.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Academica-e (Universidad Pública de Navarra) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Children's Physical and Motor Development
- Keywords
- muscular fitness, childhood, adolescence, body mass index, adiposity, cardiometabolic health, insulin resistance, triglycerides, cardiovascular risk, bone mineral density, musculoskeletal health, low back pain, grip strength, sit-ups, standing long jump, skinfold thickness
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Anthropometry, Child, Health Status, Humans, Physical Fitness, Bone Density, Body Mass Index, Adiposity, Muscle Strength
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