Tracking of activity and fitness and the relationship with cardiovascular disease risk factors

Abstract

TWISK, J. W. R., H. C. G. KEMPER, and W. van MECHELEN. Tracking of activity and fitness and the relationship with cardiovascular disease risk factors. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 32, No. 8, pp. 1455–1461, 2000. To analyze tracking of daily physical activity and physical fitness (both cardiopulmonary [V̇O2max] and neuromotor fitness) and the longitudinal relationship with biological risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), i.e., total serum cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the TC:HDL ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and the sum of four skinfolds. Data were obtained from the Amsterdam Growth and Health Study; an observational longitudinal study with six repeated measurements over a period from 13 to 27 yr of age (N = 181). The statistical analyses were carried out with generalized estimating equations. Low to moderate tracking (both stability and predictability of early measurements) was observed for daily physical activity and V̇O2max, whereas good tracking was observed for neuromotor fitness. Daily physical activity was positively related to HDL (P P The longitudinal development of physical activity and V̇O2max were related to a healthy CVD risk profile. For the development of neuromotor fitness, the picture was less clear. The relationships among physical activity, physical fitness, and lipoproteins and blood pressure were highly influenced by body fatness.