年齢が重要か？学校ベースの身体活動介入における青年期の適応における暦年齢と生物学的年齢の比較（ヴロツワフPEER-HEART研究）

Background/Objectives: Relative age differences within the same school year may influence adolescents' physiological adaptations to physical activity programs. While biological maturity (maturity offset, MO) is often considered a more relevant indicator than chronological age (CA), empirical evidence from school-based interventions remains limited. This study aimed to compare the predictive value of CA and MO in explaining health-related adaptations to an eight-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program delivered during physical education classes. Methods: A total of 256 adolescents (112 boys and 144 girls) participated in HIIT protocols integrated into regular lessons. Health-related outcomes included maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), body fat percentage (BFP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. Maturity offset (MO) was estimated using Moore's method. Statistical analyses included MANOVA/ANOVA, linear regression, and dominance analysis, all stratified by sex. Results: Chronological age explained more variance in the studied outcomes than MO, particularly for BFP and VO₂max among girls. In boys, a significant CA × MO interaction predicted SBP, indicating interdependence between both age indicators. Dominance analysis confirmed the overall predominance of CA as a predictor across most outcomes. Conclusions: Chronological age proved to be a stronger predictor of adaptation to school-based HIIT than biological maturity, suggesting that calendar age better reflects cumulative behavioral and environmental influences. These findings highlight the need for age-sensitive and personalized approaches when designing physical education interventions to optimize health-related outcomes in adolescents.