Adolescent Aerobic Fitness and Adult Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Abstract

1249 PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between aerobic fitness during adolescence and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors at adult age. METHODS: The sample included 48 subjects from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study who had one clinical visit during adolescence (mean age = 15.8 yrs) and a follow-up visit during adulthood (mean age = 26.6 yrs). Aerobic fitness was determined by the modified Balke treadmill protocol (TM). The following CVD risk factors were considered: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), percent body fat (PBF), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure (BP). The relationship between adolescent TM and adult CVD risk factors and the Δ TM and Δ CVD risk factors were examined by partial correlations, controlling for length of follow-up (mean = 11 yrs). Differences in adult CVD risk factors based on a median split of adolescent TM were examined by a paired t-test. RESULTS: TM showed moderate tracking between adolescence and adulthood (r = 0.53). Adolescent TM and ΔTM showed moderate correlations with adult body fatness indicators (BMI, WC, and %BF) (r = −0.34 to −0.47) and Δ body fatness (−0.24 to −0.46), respectively. There were no significant associations between adolescent TM and conventional CHD risk factors at follow-up. Adult body fatness indicators were significantly lower in the adolescent high treadmill category compared to those in the adolescent low category. CONCLUSION: The results confirm previous studies that indicate a significant relationship between adolescent aerobic fitness and adult body fatness and a lack of an association between adolescent aerobic fitness and adult cholesterol, BP, and glucose levels. Supported by Lifefitness Academy M.L. Pollock Memorial Research Grant to JCE and NIH grant AG06945 to SN Blair.