The Effects of Childhood Fitness on Adult Metabolic Syndrome and Improving Health Outcomes Through Increasing Fitness In Childhood

The importance of childhood and adolescent fitness has shifted over time. In the US, physical fitness test batteries first started to emerge during times of war to assess military preparedness. However, as conscription became less necessary and the US turned to issues at home, these fitness assessments became more focused on health over performance.14 This leads to the question, how is fitness tied to overall health? With this literature review, I examine the relationships between childhood fitness and metabolic syndrome, a group of factors that together raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, or stroke