Abstract
The aim was to identify different dietary and physical activity (PA) patterns in 5- to 14-year-old children with a high prevalence of overweight and obesity using cluster analysis based on their adherence to the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition dietary guidelines and levels of PA, and to determine their associations with age, sex, body composition, and cardiometabolic risk markers. In 549 children, hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify subgroups with similar adherence to dietary recommendations and level of PA. Three clusters were identified: Cluster 1, with the lowest level of vigorous PA and adherence to dietary recommendations; Cluster 2, with the lowest levels of moderate and vigorous PA and the highest adherence to dietary recommendations; and Cluster 3, with the highest level of PA, especially vigorous PA and a medium level adherence to dietary recommendations. Cluster 3 had lower total body fat and higher lean body mass percentages than Cluster 2. Cluster 2 had lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than Cluster 1. The results from our study suggest that it is important to consider adherence to PA recommendations together with adherence to dietary guidelines to understand patterns of obesogenic habits in pediatric populations with high prevalence of overweight and obesity.
Highlights
Obesity is a major health concern in developed societies and with the rising prevalence of childhood obesity, the problem is expected to increase further in the future [1,2]
When comparing participants categorized by body mass index (BMI), we found no significant differences in adherence to foods to be promoted
We identified three clusters associated with adherence to dietary and physical activity (PA) recommendations in a clinical cohort of Spanish children
Summary
Obesity is a major health concern in developed societies and with the rising prevalence of childhood obesity, the problem is expected to increase further in the future [1,2]. Childhood obesity affects child’s quality of life and is associated with a wide variety of disorders, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS) [3,4]. It has cardiometabolic implications later in life [5]. Dietary habits are an important factor to consider in preventing obesity [6,7]. Scientific organizations have established healthy dietary guidelines to prevent them [8]. Adherence to the healthy Mediterranean diet has been gradually decreasing over the last few decades in the Mediterranean region, especially in children [9,10]
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