Abstract
BackgroundChildhood and adolescence are critical periods of habit formation with substantial tracking of lifestyle and cardiovascular risk into adulthood. There are various guidelines on recommended levels of physical activity in youth of school-age. Despite the epidemic of obesity and diabetes in China, there is a paucity of data in this regard in Chinese youth. We examined the association of self-reported level of physical activity and cardiovascular risk in Hong Kong Chinese youth of school-age.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2007-8 in a school setting with 2119 Hong Kong Chinese youth aged 6-20 years. Physical activity level was assessed using a validated questionnaire, CUHK-PARCY (The Chinese University of Hong Kong: Physical Activity Rating for Children and Youth). A summary risk score comprising of waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose and lipids was constructed to quantify cardiovascular risk.ResultsIn this cohort, 21.5% reported high level of physical activity with boys being more active than girls (32.1% versus 14.1%, p < 0.001). Regression analysis showed physical activity level, sex and pubertal stage were independently associated with cardiovascular risk score.ConclusionSelf-reported level of physical activity is associated with cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese youth after adjusting for sex and pubertal stage.
Highlights
Childhood and adolescence are critical periods of habit formation with substantial tracking of lifestyle and cardiovascular risk into adulthood
We examined the level of physical activity in these young subjects and its associations with cardiovascular risk factors
A total of 2119 Hong Kong Chinese school children aged 6-20 years consented to participate in this study (804 primary school students and 1315 secondary school students)
Summary
Childhood and adolescence are critical periods of habit formation with substantial tracking of lifestyle and cardiovascular risk into adulthood. There are various guidelines on recommended levels of physical activity in youth of school-age. We examined the association of self-reported level of physical activity and cardiovascular risk in Hong Kong Chinese youth of school-age. Regular physical activity prevents myocardial infarction, cardiovascular events and premature mortality [1,2]. The beneficial effects of lifestyle modification, including regular exercise [3] on prevention of obesity, diabetes and hypertension are confirmed [4,5] Obesity is a major risk factor of cardiovascular diseases [6]. Childhood and adolescence are critical periods of habit formation with substantial tracking of lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors into adulthood [8,9].
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