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Skeletal maturity and physical fitness of children and youth from the Autonomous Region of Madeira. The general aim of this mixed longitudinal study is to demonstrate dif- ferences in fitness levels between contrasting skeletal maturity groups for children and youth from the Autonomous Region of Madeira. A representative sample of 507 students of both sexes aged 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 years has been observed at annual intervals for a period of three years. Several fitness components were observed by means of the Eurofit test battery. Skeletal maturity was assessed using the Tanner-Whitehouse Mark II system. ANOVA and the post-hoc Tukey tests were used to verify the statistical significance of the observed differences. The results of this study show that (1) boys and girls who mature ear- lier are stronger than their average and late-maturing peers. This is probably partly explained by the bigger body size and muscular mass of the early-maturing youngsters; (2) no differences between maturity groups were observed for plate tapping and shuttle run tests; (3) for girls the absence of statistical significant differences also applies for sit and reach, standing broad jump, sit ups and 12-minute run/walk; (4) boys (10-11 years of age) and girls (7-9 and 10-11 years of age) who mature later are more proficient than early- and average- maturing youngsters for bent arm hang. Again, the higher body mass of early matures, exerting a negative influence in the performance of this test, can partly explain this negative association. At the age of 14-15 the direction of the relationship changes, and early-maturing boys show better results than average-and late-maturing boys. At these age levels, the larger increase in strength that accompanies male adolescence com- pensates the higher body mass; (5) boys and girls who mature late achieved better results than early ones for flamingo balance.

The present study has the following purposes: (1) to present and situate the studies made in the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries and (2) to present some recommendations for future investigations. Seventeen studies are considered and the following conclusions are drawn: (1) almost the totality of the studies present a cross-sectional design; (2) in the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries context, the height and weight of Portuguese and Brazilian children are nearly coincident while the youngsters of Mozambique are shorter and less heavy. The children from Cabo Verde and Mozambique have less subcutaneous fat than the Portuguese and Brazilian children. On sit and reach, Mozambique presents the best performances but the opposite holds true for sit ups. On 12-minute run/walk, Portuguese perform better than Brazilians; (3) in European context, boys and girls from Brazil and Mozambique are slightly shorter than Belgians. Children and youth from Mozambique are less heavy and have lower subcutaneous fat levels than Belgian children. On sit and reach Mozambique boys and girls perform better than their Belgian peers. Future growth studies need to consider to use: (1) longitudinal or mixed-longitudinal designs; (2) multidisciplinary research teams; (3) well defined methodologies in training of test team; (4) rigorous quality control during data collection and data entry; and (5) inclusion of parameters related to health.