ABSTRACT
Bone mineral density (BMD) increases during childhood and adolescence, until peak bone mass is reached. Peak bone mass is an important determinant of osteoporosis (Specker, 2001). Several studies have identified a positive association between the level of physical activity and BMD in children (Bass et al., 1998; MacKelvie et al., 2003). It is well documented that moderate exercise increases BMD in the prepubertal and early pubertal period but not in the postpubertal period (Morris et al., 1997; MacKelvie et al., 2002). One strategy to increase peak bone mass is a regular weight-bearing exercise. Weight-bearing exercise includes aerobics, jogging, jumping, volleyball and other sports that generate impact to the skeleton (Burrows, 2007). Sports participation during growth has been shown to increase BMD in the weight-loaded limbs by 10-20 per cent (Bass et al., 1998), which is greater if the exercise precedes pubertal growth (Bradney et al., 1998). Skeletal benefits of exercise have been shown to be greater when regular training is started prior to menarche (Heinonen et al., 2000). During puberty anthropometrical and body composition parameters change rapidly in adolescents. However, there are only very few studies available on the influence of anthropometry and body composition on the bone parameters in lean physically active girls. Only MacKelvie et al. (2002) concluded that body mass index (BMI) was significantly related to bone mineral accrual and may have played a role in dampening the effect of the jumping intervention. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between BMD, anthropometry and body composition in physically active pubertal girls.
