Abstract
Background: Studies were performed in order to determine the existing relationship between body composition and both physical activity (PA) levels and food habits. Nevertheless, no study has yet examined if the association between adiposity and PA in children is moderated by adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD). Methods: the cross-sectional and associative analysis involved a total of 370 children (55.1% boys) aged 6–13, from six different schools from the Murcia region of Spain. Results: The different values of moderator [adherence to the MD expressed as a Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) score] are shown by the slope and the different areas of significance. The first area was shown below ≤3.8, indicating that the unfavorable influence of excess of adiposity on PA could be intensified for children in this area. The second area was a significant positive area was shown above ≥9.3, expressing that the unfavorable influence of adiposity could be reduced for those who were above this estimation point. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that the adverse effects of excess adiposity on PA can be moderated by adherence to the MD among schoolchildren.
Highlights
Overweight and obesity are known globally as the most severe public health problems due to their worrying increase over time [1]
A recent systematic review found a positive association between Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence and high levels of physical activity (PA) [29]
This is related to previous findings [30] that showed that children who eat healthy food are less sedentary and more likely to be physically active compared to children who Following this, a recent systematic review found a positive association between MD adherence and high levels of PA [29]
Summary
Overweight and obesity are known globally as the most severe public health problems due to their worrying increase over time [1]. Existing knowledge of the serious consequences of overweight and obesity is primarily founded on studies in adults, growing evidence suggests that childhood obesity has a number of immediate, intermediate, and long-term health consequences [2] Some of these consequences could be linked to the negative relationship between several behaviors associated with physical activity (PA) and adiposity as shown in the scientific literature [3], since insufficient levels of PA are the fourth-leading risk factor for premature mortality in adulthood [4]. Confounding or reverse causation (i.e., that adiposity influences physical inactivity, rather than vice versa) may partially explain this relationship [9] In this sense, the causal contributions of adiposity to activity levels in children were highlighted [10], which may justify why PA interventions are often unsuccessful in preventing excess weight increase in children [11]. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that the adverse effects of excess adiposity on PA can be moderated by adherence to the MD among schoolchildren
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