Perbedaan status gizi, kesegaran jasmani, dan kualitas hidup anak sekolah di pedesaan dan perkotaan The comparison of nutritional status, physical fi tness and quality of life of urban and rural school children

Background: The differences in geographic, sosioeconomic and lifestyle between children in rural and urban areas infl uence their nutritional status. The urban children tended to be less active. The evidence suggested that physical activity improves cardiorespiratory fi tness and mental health in young people but study that compare those indicators among rural and urban children was scarce. Objective: To compare the nutritional status, physical fi tness, and quality of life between elementary school children in rural and urban areas. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Semarang (urban) and Mlonggo (rural) Central Java in 2009. Inclusion criteria was school children aged 9-11 years and had no physical disability. Body composition was measured by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, physical activity by Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), physical fi tness by 20-m shuttle run test and quality of life by Pediatrics Quality of Life Questionnaire (PedQoL 4.0). The differences between nutritional status and physical activity were assessed by Chi Square test, while the differences between physical fi tness and quality of life were tested by independent t test (