Association of physical activity and sedentary behavior at school with cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents

Priscila Cristina dos Santos,Bruno Gonçalves Galdino da Costa,Cilene Rebolho Martins,Kelly Samara da Silva,Juliane Berria,Everson Araújo Nunes,Luiz Rodrigo Augustemak de Lima,Edio Luiz Petroski,Giseli Minatto

doi:10.1590/1980-0037.2020v22e72397

Abstract

Abstract The association of moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary behavior performed in the school context with cardiovascular risk factors is unclear. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether MVPA and SB during school time are associated with single and clustered cardiovascular risk factors in 10- to 16-year-old school students. This study used the baseline data from a non-randomized controlled clinical trial (“MEXA-SE”) conducted on 6th to 9th-grade students from schools in Florianopolis, Brazil. Skinfolds, resting blood pressure, 20-m shuttle-run test, fasting glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and white blood cell counts were obtained. MVPA and SB were objectively measured with accelerometers. A minimum of 180 minutes was considered valid school-time for analysis. Multiple linear regression adjusted for age, sex and habitual physical activity was used. School-time MVPA was positively associated with the peak VO2 (β = 0.17 ml.kg.min-1), and inversely associated with sum of four skinfolds (β = -0.96 mm), diastolic blood pressure (β = -0.36 mmHg), systolic blood pressure (β = -0.301 mmHg); triglycerides (β = -1.49 mg.dL-1), and clustered cardiovascular risk factors (β = -0.123). School-time SB was positively associated with clustered cardiovascular risk factors (β = 0.033). In conclusion, independently of habitual physical activity level, school-time MVPA and a lower time in SB were associated to single and clustered cardiovascular risk factors. Thus, the promotion of strategies aimed increase MVPA and reduce SB at school may prevent the onset and early accumulation of cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence.

Highlights

The clinical endpoint of cardiovascular disease mostly occurs during adulthood[1], the presence of cardiovascular risk factors can already be observed during childhood and adolescence[1]
For each additional minute spent in school-time moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) there was increase of 0.166 ml.kg.min-1 in peak VO2 (95%CI: 0.08; 0.25) and a reduction of -0.96 mm in the sum of four skinfolds (95%CI: -1.42; -0.49), of -0.362 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure
School-time MVPA was inversely associated with the sum of skinfolds, blood pressure, and triglycerides, and positively correlated with aerobic fitness

Summary

Introduction

The clinical endpoint of cardiovascular disease mostly occurs during adulthood[1], the presence of cardiovascular risk factors can already be observed during childhood and adolescence[1]. Studies have shown association among daily physical inactivity (through subjective and objective measures)[1,4] and traditional cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents such as high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol (TC), low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c)[4] and the impairment of glycemic homeostasis[1]. Many of these studies do not take into account the environment where physical activity is performed[1,4]. It seems that the relation between SB and cardiometabolic risk is unclear in this population

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Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion