Abstract

This book describes the design, methods, and results of a major longitudinal study conducted to elicit information on the growth, health, and physical fitness of teenagers in Holland. The study involved numerous and repeated tests of mental and physical variables in more than 600 school children between the ages of 12 and 18 years. The book opens with a survey of longitudinal studies of adolescent growth and development carried out since 1900. An analysis of strengths and weaknesses of these studies is then used to explain the methodology and goals of the present work. Chapters provide full details on study design, subjects and procedures, used to measure and assess physical and psychosocial status and changes, eating and smoking habits, and habitual physical activity. The results of the study are then presented and discussed in a total of 10 chapters. Results cover growth changes of height and weight, patterns of biological development, changes in body build and composition, and how these changes differ according to sex. Other chapters discuss the results of functional measurements of motor performance and maximal aerobic power. The remaining chapters report findings on cardiovascular risk indicators, developmental changes in personality and sociometric status, and changes in eating habits and daily physical activity. Klappentext