ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN. (702.9)

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the cardio‐respiratory endurance according to the Body Mass Index (BMI) of male and female school children aged 13 years using 3 minute Harvard step test. This was carried out in grade 8 male children in Kannangara Vidyalaya (n=60) and grade 8 female children in Yashodara Vidyalaya, Colombo (n=60). Body weight and height were measured and BMI was calculated. Pre‐exercise and post‐exercise pulse rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure (BP) were measured. During 3 minute Harvard step exercise, average heart rate, maximum heart rate, energy expenditure and fat burn were measured using a pedometer. Mean BMI of participants was 17.70±3.42 (mean±SD) kgm‐2 for boys and 18.40±4.27 kgm‐2 for girls. Fifteen percent, 1.67% and 18.33% of the boys were overweight, obese and underweight respectively whereas in girls those percentages were 13.3%, 5% and 25% were respectively. BMI had significant correlation with pre‐exercise systolic blood pressure in boys (109.38±19.54mmHg) (rp=0.308,p=0.017) and girls (109.18±15.59mmHg) (rp=0.659,p=0.000) and also with pre‐exercise diastolic blood pressure in boys (71.40±13.07mmHg) (rp=0.342,p=0.008) and girls (69.57±10.44mmHg) (rp=0.690,p=0.000). Ninety percent of boys and 67.7% of girls completed 3 minutes Harvard step test. BMI also had positive significant correlations with energy expenditure and fat burning during exercise in both genders. Overweight and underweight were prevalent among the studied adolescents and obesity was more prevalent among girls. Correlation of BMI with blood pressures may predict the risk of pre‐hypertension and hypertension in overweight and obese adolescents. As the reduction in the fat content in adolescents with high BMI is at a higher rate during physical exercise, we suggest that introducing regular exercise programmes at school level would help in the prevention of non‐communicable diseases in the future generations.