Physical fitness in rural and urban children and adolescents from Spain

Objective: We aimed to examine the differences in fitness components between rural and urban Spanish children and adolescents. Design/method: A sample of 2569 school children (1068) and adolescents (1501) from urban and rural areas from the region of Aragón (Spain). Physical fitness was assessed by 7 tests: 20 m shuttle run, speed shuttle run, sit and reach, standing long jump, handgrip strength, bent arm hang and sit-ups in 30 s (s). Differences (in fitness and anthropometry) by place of residence were examined by one-way analysis of covariance. Results: Rural young people had higher cardiorespiratory fitness, but lower speed-agility and flexibility than urban young people (all p < 0.001; mean differences = 1.5 mL/kg per min, 0.4 s and 0.9 cm respectively). Regarding muscular fitness, rural young people had a better performance in handgrip strength (mean difference = 0.8 kg), bent arm hang (mean difference = 2.3 s), and a lower performance in sit-ups in 30 s (mean difference = 0.9 s) (all p < 0.001), compared to their urban peers. Rural young people had a lower body mass, body mass index (BMI) and sum of skinfolds (all p < 0.05; mean differences = 1.1 kg, 0.3 kg/m2 and 4.9 mm respectively) than their urban peers. Effect size was small-medium (Cohen's d = 0.1–0.3). Conclusion: Rural Spanish children and adolescents had overall a healthier profile than their urban peers in terms of cardiorespiratory fitness, upper- and lower-limb muscular fitness and adiposity, while they performed worse in speed-agility and flexibility. The place of residence should be taken into account when implementing effective interventions to promote physical activity and health.