AQA GCSE Physical Education Paper 2: Socio-cultural influences and wellbeing in physical activity and sport, June 2025: Question 2
1 mark · Easy difficulty · Multiple Choice
Identify which component of fitness is least likely to be affected by obesity.
Practise this questionQuestion
Question text
02 Which one of these would be least likely to be affected by obesity?
[1 mark]
A Agility
B Flexibility
C Speed
D Strength
Mark scheme
Show the mark scheme
02 Which one of these would be least likely to be affected by obesity?
[1 mark]
Marks for this question: AO1 = 1
Answer D – Strength. (1)
How to answer it
Effects of Obesity on Physical Fitness
This question assesses your recall of AO1 (Knowledge of physical activity and sport) regarding the definition of obesity and how excess body fat specifically impacts different components of fitness (speed, agility, flexibility, and strength).
Multiple Choice: Obesity and Fitness
Which one of these would be least likely to be affected by obesity? [1 mark]
✅ Correct Answer
D – Strength
• 1 mark for selecting option D.
• AO1 = 1 mark.
💡 Key Knowledge
Why is strength least affected?
- Obesity is defined as possessing a large amount of excess body fat (BMI > 30).
- Strength is the amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert against a resistance. Carrying extra adipose tissue (fat) does not reduce the maximal force output of a muscle. In fact, carrying extra weight often leads to adaptations that maintain or increase maximal strength.
- In contrast, excess fat mass directly reduces performance where body weight must be rapidly accelerated or moved across a range of motion.
⚖️ Breakdown of Options
- A – Agility: Severely affected. Changing direction quickly requires accelerating and decelerating body mass. Excess fat increases inertia, making directional changes slower and harder.
- B – Flexibility: Severely affected. Excess fat around joints physically restricts the range of motion (ROM) at the joint.
- C – Speed: Severely affected. Moving body mass over a distance in a short time requires a high power-to-weight ratio. Extra non-contractile fat mass slows movement down.
- D – Strength: Least affected. The capacity of muscles to contract against resistance remains intact and is not directly impaired by body fat levels.
🧠 Exam Technique
- Spot the negative phrasing: The question specifically asks for the least likely to be affected, which is printed in bold. Always circle or highlight words like least, not, or except.
- Rule out by elimination: Ask yourself: "Does fat directly hinder this?" Extra bulk clearly blocks flexibility and slows down both speed and agility, leaving strength as the only plausible answer.
❌ Common Errors
- Misreading the question: Selecting Agility or Speed because they are most affected by obesity, failing to notice the word least.
- Confusing strength with stamina/endurance: Obesity significantly reduces cardiovascular endurance and stamina, but pure maximal strength is largely independent of excess body fat.
Topics
3.2 Socio-cultural influences and wellbeing in physical activity and sport · 3.2.3 Health, fitness and wellbeing
Question and mark scheme from the AQA GCSE Physical Education examination, Paper 2: Socio-cultural influences and wellbeing in physical activity and sport, June 2025. QuestionVault is an independent revision resource; questions remain the copyright of the awarding body.