Comparison of health-related measures of two groups of adolescents in a rural southeastern county in the United States

Objective The purpose of this study was to establish baseline values on physiological parameters for 7-11 graders (n = 146) in a rural area of Alabama and to examine whether differences existed among the adolescents in the county. Design Descriptive. Setting Many adolescents in the southern portion of the United States suffer disproportionately from diseases clearly linked to lifestyle choices (i.e. diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, etc.). Method Health assessments were measured during physical education classes at two independent high schools. The measures taken included: blood pressure, recovery heart rate, upper and lower body flexibility, percentage of body fat, BMI-for-age, height, weight, and muscular strength and endurance. Results Results indicated significant differences between two school populations for cardiovascular fitness, hamstring flexibility, and shoulder flexibility. In addition, there were significant differences between genders with respect to recovery heart rate, systolic blood pressure, height, weight, and percentage of body fat. Conclusion Thus, this research shows differences between similar populations in the same county and these differences must be explored further.