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Vigorous physical activity decreased cardiometabolic risk factors in children
Researchers have found that vigorous physical activity is associated with a reduction in cardiometabolic risk factors, including BMI z score, waist circumference and systolic BP, and an improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness in children.
Current physical activity guidelines recommend that children participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity daily. However, researchers said these recommendations are based on observational studies that are limited by self-reported data.
To evaluate the relationship between physical activity intensity and cardiometabolic risk factors, Jacqueline Hay, BSc, of the Manitoba Institute of Child Health, Canada, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2008 Healthy Hearts Prospective Cohort Study of Physical Activity and Cardiometabolic Health in Youth. They included 605 children aged 9 to 17 years (mean age, 12.1 years; 41% boys), of whom 26% were overweight or obese, and measured physical activity intensity using an accelerometer.
BMI z score, waist circumference and systolic BP decreased and VO2max increased in a dose-response manner with vigorous physical activity (adjusted P<.001), according to study results, yet researchers observed no significant differences in cardiometabolic risk factors with light or moderate physical activity in multivariable analyses. They also noted that engaging in more than 7 minutes of vigorous physical activity daily decreased the odds of being overweight (adjusted OR=0.56; 95% CI, 0.33-0.95) or having elevated systolic BP (adjusted OR=0.36; 95% CI, 0.16-0.79). Additionally, these odds continued to decrease with increasing time and intensity of physical activity.
“Vigorous [physical activity] is superior to light and moderate [physical activity] for attenuating cardiometabolic risk factors in youth. These data support the concept that vigorous types of [physical activity] should be encouraged to reduce cardiometabolic risk factors in youth,” the researchers wrote. “The current targets for [physical activity] in youth may need to be re-examined, and the inclusion of specific targets for vigorous [physical activity] emphasized.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.