Physical fitness and somatic cell characteristics of an only child

Published online June 25, 2020. doi: 10.3389 / fped.2020.00324

Commentary

This study compared children with siblings to see if they showed differences in physical growth and fitness.

Participants included 542 children (boys: n = 270; girls: n = 270) between the ages of 7 and 15 years, assessed for body growth (height, weight, body mass index) and physical fitness (grip strength, bent harm hang, 60-second abdominal exercise, standing broad jump, 10-meter shuttle run and PACER test).

Analysis of variance revealed that bent arm (p = 0.046), 60 s abdominal exercise (p = 0.002), 10 m shuttle run (p = 0.013), PACER (p = 0.032)

When examining the possible influence of gender on the results, no significance was found for the physical fitness variables, but significant interactions were found for weight (p = 0.004) and body mass index (p = 0.005).

In conclusion, these results indicate that having a sibling is advantageous to a child's general fitness.