Abstract
BackgroundStudies relating physical activity (PA) to weight gain in children have produced mixed results, although there is some evidence for stronger associations with more intense physical activities. The present study tested the hypothesis that weight gain over one year in 8–10 year olds would be more strongly predicted by moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) than total physical activity (total PA) or sedentary behaviour.MethodologyParticipants were 280 children taking part in the Physical Exercise and Appetite in Children Study (PEACHES). Weight status was assessed using body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI), and waist circumference (WC) in school Year 4 (baseline; age 8.7 yrs) and Year 5 (follow-up; age 9.7 yrs). Physical activity was measured at baseline using the Actigraph GT1M accelerometer to assess total PA (mean accelerometers counts per minute), MVPA; ≥4000 counts per minute) and sedentary time (<100 counts per minute).Principal FindingsAfter adjustment for baseline BMI, SES, sex and ethnicity, MVPA was significantly associated with follow–up BMI (adjusted β = −0.07; p = 0.002). This association was independent of total PA or sedentary time. Similar results were observed for FMI; again MVPA was significantly associated with follow up FMI (β = −0.16; p = 0.001) independent of total PA or sedentary time. The pattern was similar for WC (β = −0.07), but the association between MVPA and WC did not reach significance at p = 0.06.ConclusionThe results of this study strongly support promotion of MVPA in children.
Highlights
Prevention of childhood overweight and obesity is a public health priority [1]
This paper reports associations between physical activity and sedentary time at baseline and three measures of adiposity (BMI, Fat mass index (FMI) and Waist circumference (WC)) one year later, and tests the prediction that moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) would show the strongest association
1% of children in the sample met even the minimum guidelines of at least 60 minutes of MVPA [29], and the total amount of time spent in MVPA was very low; averaging only 12 minutes per day
Summary
Prevention of childhood overweight and obesity is a public health priority [1]. Weight has a strong genetic influence [2], but the rapid rise in obesity prevalence over the past three decades points to an important role for the environment [3]. There are relatively few studies examining associations between objectively-measured physical activity and weight status in childhood [5,6,7], but as in adults, some crosssectional studies have found stronger associations with more vigorous activities [8,9,10,11]. In the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), data from a very large sample of adolescents (n = 4150) showed that physical activity measured by accelerometer was associated with change in fat mass two years later; with time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA; defined as .3600 counts accelerometer counts per minute) being important [12]. We reported cross-sectional associations between objectively measured physical activity and weight status in a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample of 8–9 year olds, the associations were only significant in boys [16]. This paper reports associations between physical activity (total daily PA, time spent in MVPA) and sedentary time at baseline and three measures of adiposity (BMI, FMI and WC) one year later, and tests the prediction that MVPA would show the strongest association
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