Abstract
We examined the independent association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and insulin resistance (IR) among obese Latino children (N = 113; 7–15 years) who were enrolled in a community-based obesity intervention. Baseline information on physical activity was gathered by self-report. Clinical assessments of body composition, resting energy expenditure (REE), as well as glucose and insulin responses to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were performed after an overnight fast. Insulin resistance was defined as a 2 h insulin concentration >57 μU·mL−1. We observed that those obese children who met the 2008 Guidelines for MVPA (≥60 min/day) experienced a significantly lower odds of IR compared with those not meeting the Guidelines (OR = 0.29; 95% CI: (0.10–0.92)) and these findings were independent of age, sex, pubertal stage, acculturation, fasting insulin, and 2 h glucose concentrations. Efforts to promote 60 min or more of daily MVPA among children from ethnic minority and high-risk communities should assume primary public health importance.
Highlights
Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with 32 percent of children and adolescents defined as either overweight or obese [1]
We examined the independent association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and insulin resistance (IR) among obese Latino children (N = 113; 7–15 years) who were enrolled in a community-based obesity intervention
Since obesity lies along the biological pathway between MVPA and insulin resistance, it would seem as though the contribution of MVPA to IR would be diminished in the presence of obesity
Summary
Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with 32 percent of children and adolescents defined as either overweight or obese [1]. Among Latino American children and adolescents, the prevalence and complications of obesity are even higher compared with children of other racial and ethnic identity [1]. This issue has substantial public health relevance as Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority in the United States, and data suggest that 85% of overweight youth will remain overweight as adults [2]. The reason behind this observed racial/ethnic disparity in obesity is not clear. Among US adults and adolescents, Latinos have the highest prevalence of the metabolic syndrome [12], and more recent reports indicate an increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes among obese Latino American, African American, and Native American adolescents [13]
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