Associations between health-related physical fitness and self-esteem in primary school children

• Álvaro Infantes Paniagua ^[1] ; Juan Gregorio Fernández Bustos ^[1] ; María Pilar León ^[1] ; David Zamorano García ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

     Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

     Ciudad Real, España

     
• Localización: Journal of Human Sport and Exercise: JHSE, ISSN-e 1988-5202, Vol. 15, Nº. Extra 2, 2020 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Winter Conferences of Sports Science), págs. 315-326
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Physical fitness plays an important role as an indicator of physical health. It is also associated with psychological well-being by showing positive relationships between its components and self-esteem in children and adolescents. However, while the musculoskeletal fitness shows clearer associations, this is not the case of cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition. This study aimed to determine the relationships between the different components of the physical fitness and self-esteem in a sample of 377 students from 9 to 13 years in Albacete. Physical fitness was measured by the 20m shuttle run, broad jump test and handgrip strength. Waist circumference and body mass index were used as body composition measures. Self-esteem was evaluated with the Multimedia and Multilingual Questionnaire for Self-Esteem Assessment, attending to its academic, athletic, socio-affective and global domains. Results showed significant positive associations of 20m shuttle run and broad jump test with global self-esteem and most of the dimensions. There were also significant correlations between body composition measures and athletic and global self-esteem. These results allow for guiding those interventions aimed at increasing self-esteem in school age and incorporating the improvement of physical fitness.