Abstract
BackgroundIndependent associations of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) with obesity are well documented. However, little is known about the combined associations of these behaviors with obesity in adolescents. The present study examines the prevalence of concurrent levels of PA and SB, and their associations with obesity among US adolescents.MethodsData from a total of 12 081 adolescents who participated in the Youth Risk Behaviors Survey during 2012–2013 were analyzed. A latent class analysis was performed to identify latent subgroups with varying combined levels of subjectively measured PA and screen-based SB. Follow-up analysis examined the changes in the likelihood of being obese as determined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Growth Chart between latent subgroups.ResultsFour latent subgroups with varying combined levels of PA and SB were identified across gender. The likelihood of being obese was significantly greater for the subgroups featuring either or both Low PA or High SB when compared with High PA/Low SB across genders (odds ratio [OR] ranges, 2.1–2.7 for males and 9.6–23.5 for females). Low PA/High SB showed the greater likelihood of being obese compared to subgroups featuring either or both High PA and Low SB (OR ranges, 2.2–23.5) for female adolescents only.ConclusionsThe findings imply that promoting sufficient levels of PA while reducing SB should be encouraged in order to reduce obesity risk among adolescents, particularly for males. The risk of obesity for female adolescents can be reduced by engaging in either high levels of PA or low levels of SB.
Highlights
IntroductionObesity is a global pandemic that has been identified as one of the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality.[1,2,3] The prevalence of obesity in adolescents has increased significantly in the last few decades,[4] and this may directly lead to a future risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes or metabolic syndrome later in life.[5,6] A body of literature has identified physical activity (PA) as a potential modifiable lifestyle behavior that can reduce risk of obesity (and improve health profiles) among adolescents.[7,8] Specific PA guidelines have been established to promote PA in youth (eg, ≥60 minutes of moderate and vigorous-intensity PA [MVPA] per day with ≥3 days of muscle-strengthening PA).[9]Recently, the environmental and behavioral changes in modern society have extended a paradigm of health determinants to sedentary behavior (SB),[10] which are characterized by a prolonged sitting or reclining posture requiring low level of energy expenditure (
Survey data and study sample Data for this study came from the 2013 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a biannual cross-sectional survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The prevalence of obesity was greater for male adolescents (16.6%; SE = 0.8) compared to their female counterparts (10.8%; SE = 0.6)
Summary
Obesity is a global pandemic that has been identified as one of the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality.[1,2,3] The prevalence of obesity in adolescents has increased significantly in the last few decades,[4] and this may directly lead to a future risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes or metabolic syndrome later in life.[5,6] A body of literature has identified physical activity (PA) as a potential modifiable lifestyle behavior that can reduce risk of obesity (and improve health profiles) among adolescents.[7,8] Specific PA guidelines have been established to promote PA in youth (eg, ≥60 minutes of moderate and vigorous-intensity PA [MVPA] per day with ≥3 days of muscle-strengthening PA).[9]Recently, the environmental and behavioral changes in modern society have extended a paradigm of health determinants to sedentary behavior (SB),[10] which are characterized by a prolonged sitting or reclining posture requiring low level of energy expenditure (
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