Abstract
Objective: To compare cardiovascular risk and cardiorespiratory capacity in schoolchildren from a region in the extreme south of Chile according to nutritional status and muscular strength. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 594 schoolchildren from 5th to 8th grade in the extreme south of Chile. Based on body mass index and lower limb muscle strength, participants were divided into four groups: high strength-normal weight, high strength-overweight/obese, low strength-normal weight, and low strength-overweight/obese. Then, waist-to-height ratio and cardiorespiratory capacity, measured with the 20 m shuttle run test, were assessed to determine their cardiovascular risk, comparing the four groups. Results: The overweight/obese group with high muscular strength presented better indicators in anthropometric variables (waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio) than their peers with low muscular strength. Additionally, the overweight/obese group with low muscular strength presented a lower cardiorespiratory capacity than their peers with high muscular strength. Both results were observed in boys and girls. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that overweight/obese schoolchildren with high muscle strength present healthier anthropometric indicators and greater cardiorespiratory capacity than their peers with low muscle strength. These results confirm the relevance of measuring muscle strength in schoolchildren and its usefulness to assess functionality. These results encourage the scientific community to continue studying the role that muscle strength plays in modulating the effects of overweight and obesity on respiratory and cardiovascular conditions in childhood.
Highlights
IntroductionChildhood obesity is one of the principal public health problems in the world [1,2], with more than 340 million children and adolescents being overweight or obese in 2016 [3]
A higher number of girls were in the high-strength category compared to boys (p = 0.005)
This study suggests that overweight/obese schoolchildren with high muscular strength present better anthropometric indicators, and overweight/obese children with lower muscular strength present a lower cardiorespiratory capacity
Summary
Childhood obesity is one of the principal public health problems in the world [1,2], with more than 340 million children and adolescents being overweight or obese in 2016 [3]. In this sense, children with excessive adiposity present a higher cardiovascular risk during childhood and adolescence [4–8] and premature mortality when becoming adults [9,10]. Physical fitness plays a preventive role against numerous diseases [11,13]. In this regard, the main components of physical fitness are cardiorespiratory capacity, which allows supplying oxygen during sustained physical activity; muscle strength; flexibility, which is the ability of the muscles to move freely through a full joint range of motion; and motor ability, which includes speed, agility, and balance [14]
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