Daily physical activity related to aerobic fitness and body fat in an urban sample of children
- 24 November 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
- Vol. 18 (6), 728-735
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2007.00741.x
Abstract
This study evaluates associations between objectively measured daily physical activity vs aerobic fitness and body fat in children aged 8-11 years. A cross-sectional study of 225 children aged 7.9-11.1 years was performed. Abdominal fat mass (AFM) and total body fat (TBF) were quantified by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. TBF was calculated as percentage of total body mass (BF%). Body fat distribution was calculated as AFM/TBF. Aerobic fitness was measured by indirect calorimetry during a maximal cycle ergometer exercise test. Daily physical activity was assessed by accelerometers for 4 days and daily accumulation of moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous activity was calculated. Significant relationships (P < 0.05) existed for vigorous activity vs ln BF% (r=-0.40), ln AFM (r=-0.35), TBF/AFM (r=-0.22) and aerobic fitness (r=0.38), whereas moderate-to-vigorous activity displayed weaker relationships (-0.22, -0.18, -0.12 NS, and 0.25). Multiple regression analyses with inclusion of possible confounders concluded that vigorous activity was independently related to aerobic fitness and ln BF% or ln AFM. Moderate-to-vigorous activity was only independently related to aerobic fitness. In this population, low daily accumulation of vigorous activity was, already in children aged 8-11 years, associated with more body fat and lower aerobic fitness. A similar relation was not found for daily accumulation of moderate-to-vigorous activity.Keywords
This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- BMI and objectively measured body fat and body fat distribution in prepubertal childrenClinical Physiology and Functional Imaging, 2006
- Daily physical activity related to body fat in children aged 8-11 yearsThe Journal of Pediatrics, 2006
- Cardiovascular disease risk factors in 6–7-year-old Danish children: the Copenhagen School Child Intervention StudyPreventive Medicine, 2005
- Evidence Based Physical Activity for School-age YouthThe Journal of Pediatrics, 2005
- Physical Activity as a Predictor of Body Composition in American Indian ChildrenObesity Research, 2004
- Validity and reliability of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for the assessment of abdominal adiposityJournal of Applied Physiology, 2004
- Habitual physical activity and physical activity intensity: their relation to body composition in 5.0–10.5-y-old childrenEuropean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004
- Established and Recently Identified Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors in Young PeopleSports Medicine, 2003
- Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and AdolescentsSports Medicine, 2001
- Assessment of Physical Activity among Children and Adolescents: A Review and SynthesisPreventive Medicine, 2000