Mediation Effect of Age Category on the Relationship between Body Composition and the Physical Fitness Profile in Youth Handball Players
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Body composition Physical fitness Physiological profile Handball youth Mediation
Fecha
2020-03Referencia bibliográfica
Molina-López, J., Barea Zarzuela, I., Sáez-Padilla, J., Tornero-Quiñones, I., & Planells, E. (2020). Mediation Effect of Age Category on the Relationship between Body Composition and the Physical Fitness Profile in Youth Handball Players. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7), 2350. [doi:10.3390/ijerph17072350]
Resumen
The aims of the present study were (1) to determine the differences in body composition and
the physical and physiological profile of handball youths across age categories, and (2) to analyze the
mediation effect of different categories on the relationship between lean mass or fat mass and specific
physical handball capacities. Fifty-four young handball players aged 13 to 18 were assigned to U14
(13- and 14-year-olds), U16 (15- and 16-year-olds), and U18 (17- and 18-year-olds). Body composition
was measured using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance (Inbody®, 230). Handball physical
fitness was assessed using handgrip force, jumping tests (squat jump, countermovement jump,
countermovement jump with aimed arms), a 30-m sprint, a change-of-direction test (T-half agility
test and modified Illinois test), and a Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1. Simple mediation
analysis was performed to analyze whether the category mediated the relationship between lean
mass or fat mass and physical capacities. No significant differences were observed according to
category for the majority of the measured parameters, except for height, lean body mass, and arm
span. Lean body mass increased significantly as player category increased (p < 0.05; ∆ = 4.66–9.38;
effect size (ES) = 0.96–1.92). The increase in handball category enhanced the majority of the physical
capacities evaluated; however, these differences were reduced between the U16 vs. U18 categories.
The indirect mediation effect suggests that handball category mediated the relationship between
lean mass and upper and lower strength, velocity, agility, and cardiorespiratory fitness. In contrast,
an indirect effect suggests that category mediated the relationship between fat mass only in agility
and cardiorespiratory fitness. We conclude that U18s showed better body composition parameters,
as well as better physical performance scores. Handball category clearly mediated the relationship
between body composition through lean mass and fat mass and the physiological profile in handball
youth, but lean mass proved to be more relevant when mediating physical performance.