Urban-rural contrasts in the physical fitness of school children in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The physical fitness of school children resident in an urban colonia and in a rural indigenous community in Oaxaca, southern Mexico, was compared. Two measures of performance-related fitness (standing long jump, 35-yard dash [32 m]) and four measures of health-related fitness (grip strength, sit and reach, timed sit-ups, distance run) were taken on 355 rural (175 boys, 184 girls) and 324 urban (163 boys, 161 girls) school children, 6-13 years of age. Urban children were significantly taller and heavier than rural children. Absolute grip strength did not consistently differ between rural and urban children, but when adjusted for age and body size, strength was greater in rural children. Explosive power (standing long jump) and abdominal strength and endurance (timed sit-ups) were better in urban than in rural children without and with adjustment for age and body size. Urban-rural differences in running speed (dash) and flexibility (sit and reach) varied by age group and sex. Younger rural children and older urban girls performed better in the distance run, whereas older rural and urban boys did not differ in endurance. The size advantage of urban children does not necessarily translate into better levels of performance- and health-related physical fitness. The observed differences may be related to activity habits associated with school physical education and lifestyle in the respective communities. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.