Association between masticatory performance and physical fitness in Japanese elementary schoolchildren: The Osaka...

This study aimed to examine the association between masticatory performance and physical fitness in Japanese elementary school children.

This cross-sectional study included 1,225 children (608 boys and 617 girls) aged 9-10 years in Osaka, Japan. Masticatory performance was assessed using a color-changeable chewing gum. Physical fitness was evaluated using seven standardized tests (handgrip strength, sit-ups, side-to-side jump, 20-m shuttle run, 50-m sprint, standing long jump, and softball throw), and a composite physical fitness score was calculated as the mean of sex-standardized z-scores. Associations between masticatory performance and physical fitness were examined using Pearson's correlation coefficients and multivariable linear regression analyses adjusted for height and weight. Sex-stratified analyses were also performed.

In the overall analysis, masticatory performance was significantly associated with side-to-side jump, 20-m shuttle run, 50-m sprint, softball throw, and the composite physical fitness score. In boys, significant correlations were observed for sit-ups, 20-m shuttle run, softball throw, and the composite physical fitness score, whereas in girls, only the 20-m shuttle run showed a significant correlation. In sex-stratified multivariable analyses, masticatory performance was significantly associated with the composite physical fitness score in boys, but not in girls.

Masticatory performance was associated with several physical fitness components, as well as the composite physical fitness score, in Japanese elementary school children, particularly in boys.

These findings highlight the importance of developing and maintaining adequate masticatory function during childhood, which was associated with higher physical fitness in the present study.