Environmental perceptions and its associations with physical fitness and body composition in adolescents: longitudinal results from the LabMed Physical Activity Study.

Background The environmental correlates have been extensively studied in the last years, but most associations with physical fitness (PF) and body composition have been cross-sectional in nature. Objective This study aimed to determine if adolescents' environmental perceptions associated with PF and body composition in a 2-year follow-up. Subjects Participants were 583 adolescents aged 12-18 years (299 girls) from the LabMed Physical Activity Study. Methods PF and body composition were assessed with the protocols of the ALPHA health-related fitness battery and environmental perceptions with the ALPHA environmental questionnaire. Linear regression models were used to determine the associations between environmental perceptions at baseline and PF and anthropometric measures at follow-up. Results Results showed that perceptions of distant facilities at baseline were associated with lower fitness at follow-up in boys. Also, boys' lower study environment perceptions at baseline were associated with higher body composition at follow-up. Positive perceptions of a pleasant environment at baseline were associated with better fitness at follow-up in boys. Additionally, girls' positive bike lanes availability and esthetics perceptions at baseline were associated with better body composition at follow-up. Conclusion Positive environmental perceptions at baseline are associated with better PF and body composition at follow-up.