Differences in physical activity between non-overweight, overweight and obese children

The purpose of the study was to find out differences in moderate to vigorous physical activity among non-overweight, overweight and obese children, and between boys and girls. The sample included 364 children (179 boys and 185 girls), aged 6.4 years (+/- 0.3 SD). Physical activity was assessed by 7-day questionnaire. Age adapted BMI was used as overweight and obesity indicator. The children were divided into non-overweight, overweight and obese groups. It was found out, that there are significant differences in non-overweight, overweight and obese children (p < 0.05). Boys were significantly (p < 0.05) less moderate to vigorous physical active than girls, especially in indoor activities. There were also significant differences (p < 0.05) in moderate to vigorous physical activity among non-overweight and obese boys and among overweight and obese boys in weekends and total weekly activity. In girls there are significant differences (p < 0.05) in non-overweight, overweight and groups in weekends and total weekly activity. It is possible to conclude, that obese boys and overweight and obese girls, are prone to less physical activity.     

Correlates of objectively measured physical activity in obese children

The aim of this study was to identify potential correlates of objectively measured physical activity in a sample of obese children. A cross-sectional design was used to assess 137 5-9-year-old obese children (mean +/- s.d. age = 8.3 +/- 1.1 years; mean BMI z-score = 2.76 +/- 0.70; 58% girls) from two regional cities in New South Wales, Australia, before commencement in a treatment trial. Correlates examined included age, BMI z, parental BMI, perceived competence, health-related quality of life, daily minutes spent in small screen recreation (SSR), and fundamental motor skill (FMS) proficiency. Physical activity was assessed using accelerometers and values were calculated for % of monitored time spent in moderate- (MPA) and vigorous (VPA)-intensity physical activity and mean counts per minute (CPM). Analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls. Motor skill proficiency was significantly correlated with a number of physical activity variables for boys and girls. For boys, regression analysis revealed object-control proficiency predicted CPM (R(2) = 0.25) and age was a predictor of %MPA (R(2) = 0.56). Age and object-control skill proficiency were salient predictors of %VPA (R(2) = 0.34). For girls, age and daily minutes of SSR were the only significant predictors for CPM (R(2) = 0.13). Age was the sole predictor of %MPA (R(2) = 0.38) and %VPA (R(2) = 0.15). The targeting of FMSs at an early age should be tested in experimental studies as potential strategies to increase physical activity among obese children, particularly for boys. Interventions aimed at reducing sedentary behaviors among obese girls should also be considered.     

Physical Activity,Obesity, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Children. The Belgian Luxembourg Child Study II

GUILLAUME, MICHÈLE, LEIF LAPIDUS, PER BJÖRNTORP, ANDRE LAMBERT. Physical activity, obesity, and cardiovascular risk factors in children. The Belgian Luxembourg Child Study II. Physical activity was measured in relation to cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in a randomly selected population of 1028 children from Province de Luxembourg in Belgium, a mainly rural area with a high prevalence of such risk factors among adults and children. Physical activity was estimated as participation in sport activities, a major indicator of leisure-time physical activity in schoolchildren, and physical inactivity was estimated as frequency and duration of television (TV) watching. Boys participated more frequently in sport activities than girls did (p=0. 001). A majority of the children watched TV daily. After age adjustment, bodyweight (girls, p<0. 012; boys, p<0. 027) and, in boys, body mass index (BMI) (p<0. 039) were related to days per week of TV watching. No significant relationships with other CV risk factors remained after adjustments for BMI. In analyses of independent contributions of age, TV watching, and sports activity on CV risk factors, age showed highly significant relationships. In boys, TV showed relationships with BMI (P<0. 04) and (borderline) with systolic blood pressure, independent of age and sports activity, whereas the latter was significantly related to subscapular skinfold (p<0. 04) and (borderline) with triceps skinfold and cholesterol. In girls, no significant independent contributions to risk factor associations were found. The father's education was directly associated with sports activities, whereas the mother being a housewife showed negative relationships to physical activity and positive to TV watching in their children, suggesting socioeconomic influence on the activity patterns of children. Furthermore, registrations suggested less physical activity in the most rural part of the area. It is concluded that children in this mainly rural area watch TV frequently. In boys, physical inactivity, measured both as TV watching and as registrations of sports activities, contributes independently to body fat mass. In girls, no contribution or weaker contributions of physical inactivity were found. This suggests that contributory factors leading to obesity might be different in girls and boys.     

Recent growth of children in the two Koreas: A meta-analysis

Height differences between the two Koreas were injected into the U.S. presidential debate. The purpose of this article is to report briefly the height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) differences between North and South Korean children by using previous sources and new data. This study employs South Korean data published by the Korean Research Institute for Standards and Science in 1997 and by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards in 2004, comparing them to North Korean data stemming from the 1997 and 2002 nutritional surveys conducted by the United Nations. Furthermore, this article makes use of anthropometric measurements of North Korean refugee children immigrating to South Korea from 2000 to 2007. In 1997, South Korean preschool children were found on average to be 6-7 cm (2-3 in.) taller and about 3 kg (6.6 pounds) heavier than their Northern counterparts; in 2002, the average gap was about 8 cm (3 in.) and 3 kg (6.6 pounds), and the BMI gap was about 1. North Korean boys and girls escaping to South Korea were also found to be on average about 3-4 cm (1-1.6 in.) shorter and 1 kg (2.2 pounds) lighter than their Southern peers.     

Accelerometry‐Measured Activity or Sedentary Time and Overweight in Rural Boys and Girls

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between overweight and physical activity or sedentary time measured by accelerometry in rural boys and girls 7 to 19 years old. Research Methods and Procedures: A cross‐sectional study was conducted involving 130 girls and 99 boys in elementary, middle, and high school in rural Maryland. After weight, height, and body composition were measured, children wore an Actiwatch accelerometer for 6 days. Comparisons for activity counts were made between normal and overweight or at risk for overweight (at‐risk/overweight) participants (≥85th percentile of BMI). The associations between body composition and accelerometry‐defined activity levels (sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous) were analyzed by age group for boys and girls. Results: Differences in total activity in counts per day or counts per minute were not observed between normal and at‐risk/overweight boys or girls in all age groups. No associations between measures of body composition and time spent in an activity level were seen in boys. Fat mass and percentage fat were positively correlated to time spent in sedentary activity (range r = 0.42 to 0.54, all p < 0.01) for girls. In contrast, fat mass and percentage fat were negatively related to time spent in light activity (range, r = ?0.40 to ?0.51, p < 0.05) for girls. Discussion: In girls, but not boys, greater body fat is associated with greater time spent being inactive, and lower levels of body fat are associated with more time spent in light activity. Physical activity interventions targeting inactive children in rural communities are warranted.     

Isometric and isokinetic muscle strength, anthropometry and physical activity in 8 and 13 year old Swedish children

Isometric muscle strength of the hand-grip and of trunk flexion and extension, and isokinetic torque of elbow and knee flexion and knee extension were assessed in a random sample of 8 and 13 year old Swedish children. The results were compared with respect to sex and age in absolute terms and relative to weight, height2 and estimates of lean body mass and cross-sectional muscle area. Daily physical activity was also estimated. The muscle strength variables were in general found to be very similar in the 8 year old boys and girls. In the 13 year old group the boys were generally stronger than the girls, in both absolute and relative terms, except for similar torque values during knee extension. The absolute and relative muscle strength and torque values were higher in the older than in the younger children, with the exception of trunk strength per unit of body weight and of lean body mass, which were similar in boys of both ages and significantly lower in the older than in the younger girls. No significant correlation was found between the estimates of physical activity and isometric and isokinetic muscle strength and torque.     

Critical period for menarche derived by the wavelet interpolation method from changes in BMI with age in South Korean girls

Recently, few studies regarding the changes in BMI with age have been reported. In the present study, the wavelet interpolation method (WIM) was applied to the changes in BMI with age from the first grade of elementary school until the second year of high school in Korean girls, and the relationship between age at the maximum peak velocity (MPV) of BMI and age at menarche was confirmed by determining the age at MPV of BMI. Age at menarche and activity status were obtained from questionnaires given to 263 second grade high school girls in the Pusan area of South Korea. Moreover, longitudinal growth data on height and weight from the first grade of elementary school until the second year of high school (from 1997 to 2008) were obtained from health examination records. BMI was calculated from height and weight values from the first grade of elementary school until the second year of high school, and wavelet interpolation was applied to the distances of BMI in each grade. The change curve of BMI with age was determined by wavelet interpolation, and the age at MPV of BMI was determined from the changes in the velocity curve with age as the differentiation curve. Age at MPV of BMI was found to be 12.76 +/- 1.6 years, and age at menarche to be 12.34 +/- 1.1 years. The interval in age at the two times was -0.42 +/- 1.6 years, and a significant difference was seen between age at menarche and age at MPV of BMI. The reason that the age at menarche was a little earlier than the age at MPV of BMI is hypothesized to be abnormal melatonin levels influenced by lack of sleep in Korean school girls. However, it is proposed that the age at MPV of BMI is valid as the critical period for the age at menarche.     

Pubertal alterations in growth and body composition. V. Energy expenditure, adiposity, and fat distribution

We determined whether activity energy expenditure (AEE, from doubly labeled water and indirect calorimetry) or physical activity [7-day physical activity recall (PAR)] was more related to adiposity and the validity of PAR estimated total energy expenditure (TEE(PAR)) in prepubertal and pubertal boys (n = 14 and 15) and girls (n = 13 and 18). AEE, but not physical activity hours, was inversely related to fat mass (FM) after accounting for the fat-free mass, maturation, and age (partial r = -0.35, P < or = 0.01). From forward stepwise regression, pubertal maturation, AEE, and gender predicted FM (r(2) = 0.36). Abdominal visceral fat and subcutaneous fat were not related to AEE or activity hours after partial correlation with FM, maturation, and age. When assuming one metabolic equivalent (MET) equals 1 kcal. kg body wt(-1). h(-1), TEE(PAR) underestimated TEE from doubly labeled water (TEE bias) by 555 kcal/day +/- 2 SD limits of agreement of 913 kcal/day. The measured basal metabolic rate (BMR) was >1 kcal. kg body wt(-1). h(-1) and remained so until 16 yr of age. TEE bias was reduced when setting 1 MET equal to the measured (bias = 60 +/- 51 kcal/day) or predicted (bias = 53 +/- 50 kcal/day) BMR but was not consistent for an individual child (+/- 2 SD limits of agreement of 784 and 764 kcal/day, respectively) or across all maturation groups. After BMR was corrected, TEE bias remained greatest in the prepubertal girls. In conclusion, in children and adolescents, FM is more strongly related to AEE than activity time, and AEE, pubertal maturation, and gender explain 36% of the variance in FM. PAR should not be used to determine TEE of individual children and adolescents in a research setting but may have utility in large population-based pediatric studies, if an appropriate MET value is used to convert physical activity data to TEE data.     

Trends in body mass index, prevalence of overweight and obesity in preschool Lithuanian children, 1986-2006

The study provides the body mass index (BMI), the prevalence of overweight and obesity in preschool Lithuanian children, 1986-2006. In the 2003-2006 more than 1000 preschool 3-6 year old children from Vilnius (the capital of Lithuania) were investigated according to the standard anthropometric methods. The prevalence of overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) was estimated according to the cut-off points recommended by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). Recent data were compared with the data of preschool children from the 1986 Vilnius study and with the data from the other countries. The BMI of preschool children did not change significantly during the last 20 years, except for the statistically significant BMI increment in 6 years old girls. The prevalence of OB among preschool Lithuanian children was low (0.8%-3.7% in boys, and 0-1.9% in girls) and did not change significantly during 1986-2006. The prevalence of OW was higher in preschool girls (10.7%-18.2%) in comparison with preschool boys (6.5%-12.4%). The significant increment of the prevalence of OW was observed among the 6-year-old girls from the 2006 study in comparison with the 1986 study. The possible socio-economic reasons of the defined trend in the BMI and prevalence of OW and OB among preschool Lithuanian children are discussed in the paper.     

Physical activity levels of normal-weight and overweight girls and boys during primary school recess

Objective: This study aimed to compare moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA) in normal‐weight and overweight boys and girls during school recess. Research Methods and Procedures: Four hundred twenty children, age 6 to 10 years, were randomly selected from 25 schools in England. Three hundred seventy‐seven children completed the study. BMI was calculated from height and weight measurements, and heart rate reserve thresholds of 50% and 75% reflected children's engagement in MVPA and VPA, respectively. Results: There was a significant main effect for sex and a significant interaction between BMI category and sex for the percent of recess time spent in MVPA and VPA. Normal‐weight girls were the least active group, compared with overweight boys and girls who were equally active. Fifty‐one boys and 24 girls of normal weight achieved the 40% threshold; of these, 30 boys and 10 girls exceeded 50% of recess time in MVPA. Eighteen overweight boys and 22 overweight girls exceeded the 40% threshold, whereas 8 boys and 8 girls exceeded the 50% threshold. Discussion: Overweight boys were significantly less active than their normal‐weight male counterparts; this difference did not hold true for girls. Even though nearly double the number of normal‐weight children achieved the 40% of MVPA during recess compared with overweight children, physical activity promotion in school playgrounds needs to be targeted not only at overweight but at other health parameters, as 40 overweight children met the 40% MVPA target proposed for recess.     

Body mass index, prevalence of overweight and obesity in Lithuanian children and adolescents, 1985-2002

The study provides the body mass index (BMI), the prevalence of overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) in Lithuanian children and adolescents, 1985-2002. In the 2000-2002 more than 9000 schoolchildren of 7-18 years old were investigated in the 5 biggest towns and surrounding settlements of Lithuania. These data were compared with the 1985 data. The prevalence of OW and OB was estimated using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-off points. The prevalence of OW in Lithuanian children and adolescents was higher among younger schoolchildren in comparison with older adolescents. OW was lower among the older girls in comparison with the older boys: 4.60%-11.50%/4.80%0-13.62% in the 7-13 years girls/boys, versus 1.50%-6.60%/3.90%-9.50% in the 14-18 years old girls/boys. The prevalence of OW among younger Lithuanian adolescents did not change significantly in the last 15 years, but it slightly decreased in older boys and demonstrably diminished in older adolescent girls. In generally, the prevalence of OW among Lithuanian adolescents is low in comparison with the prevalence of OW in children from the other countries.     

Association of physical activity and the metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents: CASPIAN Study

BACKGROUND/AIM: To determine the association of physical activity and the metabolic syndrome in a large national-representative sample of children. METHODS: This study was performed in 2003-2004 on 4,811 school students aged 6-18 years, selected by multi-stage random cluster sampling from six provinces in Iran. We assessed the level of physical activity using a standardized questionnaire, and categorized it to the tertiles. The metabolic syndrome was defined based on criteria analogous to those of the Adult Treatment Panel III. RESULTS: The participants comprised 2,248 boys and 2,563 girls with a mean age of 12.07 +/- 3.2 years. In all age groups, boys were more physically active than girls. The metabolic syndrome was detected in 14.1% of participants, and its prevalence was higher in those subjects in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd tertiles of physical activity, respectively (15.1 vs.14.2 and 13.1%, respectively, p <0.05). This difference was seen in boys, while no difference was found between girls in the 2nd and 3rd tertiles of physical activity. Physical activity was linked to a cluster of factors consisting of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and waist circumference, followed by triglycerides in boys, and of triglycerides, waist circumference and blood pressure in girls. In both genders, before and after adjustment for age and body mass index, low levels of physical activity significantly increased the risk of having the metabolic syndrome [in boys: OR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.1; and in girls, OR: 1.6 (1.1, 1.9)]. CONCLUSION: We found an association between physical activity and the metabolic syndrome, which was independent of body mass index and age. Children should be encouraged to have greater physical activity.     

Baseline Correlates of Insulin Resistance in Inner City High‐BMI African‐American Children

To characterize the influence of diet‐, physical activity–, and self‐esteem‐related factors on insulin resistance in 8–10‐year‐old African‐American (AA) children with BMI greater than the 85th percentile who were screened to participate in a community‐based type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevention trial. In 165 subjects, fasting glucose‐ and insulin‐derived values for homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) assessed insulin resistance. Body fatness was calculated following bioelectrical impedance analysis, and fitness was measured using laps from a 20‐m shuttle run. Child questionnaires assessed physical activity, dietary habits, and self‐esteem. Pubertal staging was assessed using serum levels of sex hormones. Parent questionnaires assessed family demographics, family health, and family food and physical activity habits. Girls had significantly higher percent body fat but similar anthropometric measures compared with boys, whereas boys spent more time in high‐intensity activities than girls. Scores for self‐perceived behavior were higher for girls than for boys; and girls desired a more slender body. Girls had significantly higher insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR), compared with boys (P < 0.01). Adjusting for age, sex, pubertal stage, socioeconomic index (SE index), and family history of diabetes, multivariate regression analysis showed that children with higher waist circumference (WC) (P < 0.001) and lower Harter's scholastic competence (SC) scale (P = 0.044) had higher insulin resistance. WC and selected self‐esteem parameters predicted insulin resistance in high‐BMI AA children. The risk of T2DM may be reduced in these children by targeting these factors.     

Weight and BMI over 6 years in Korean Children: Relationships to Body Image and Weight Loss Efforts

Objective: To investigate the relationships among longitudinal weight status, body dissatisfaction, and attitude to weight loss among Korean children from the age of 7‐8 to 13‐14 years old. Research Methods and Procedures: 351 Korean school children's heights and weights were measured at the ages of 7‐8 and 13‐14 years old; at the age of 13‐14, they completed a questionnaire about body dissatisfaction and weight loss efforts. Results: At the age of 7‐8, 15.7% of children were overweight by International Obesity Task Force standards, as compared with 26.2% at the age of 13‐14. Of the 55 7‐ to 8‐year‐old overweight children, 85.5% were still overweight at the age of 13‐14 years old. Greater concerns about body image and stronger desires to be thinner were observed among stable overweight children and among those in whom there had been a rapid increase in BMI over the 6‐year study period. Girls favored thinner shapes than did boys, regardless of their weight status or BMI changes. In girls, the level of body dissatisfaction was related only to weight loss desire, regardless of weight status or changes in BMI. In boys, however, weight loss desire was related only to weight loss attempts and was independent of weight status, BMI changes, and level of body dissatisfaction. Discussion: Regardless of weight status, changes in BMI should be considered when dealing with body dissatisfaction and attitudes to weight loss in children.     

Cross-sectional comparisons of BMI and waist circumference in British children: mixed public health messages

Research suggests that there has been a leveling off in obesity prevalence occurring in the child population. However, a concern with the evidence base is that all of the studies have relied upon the use of BMI. The purpose of this study was to compare waist circumference (WC), BMI, and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) data in three different sample of children (total number: 14,697) typically aged 11-12 years. Obesity prevalence defined by BMI did not change significantly between measurement years (2005 boys 20.6%, girls 18.0%; 2006 boys 19.3%, girls 17.3%; 2007 boys 19.8%, girls 16.4%). Obesity prevalence defined by WC was considerably higher especially, in girls (2005 boys 26.3%, girls 35.6%; 2006 boys 20.3%, girls 28.2%; 2007 boys 22.1%, girls 30.1%). The prevalence of children defined as "at risk" according to WHtR (2005 boys 23.3%, girls 21.1%; 2006 boys 16.7%, girls 15.6%; 2007 boys 17.6%, girls 17.2%) was found to be between obesity prevalence, estimated using BMI and WC. This data are the most up to date collection that includes BMI and WC in three large samples of children and clearly demonstrates inconsistencies between different measurements based on current classification systems. There is a need to understand the relationship between BMI and WC, with growth and health risk to establish a consistent public health message that is easily understood by the public.     

Accuracy of spring-levered and piezo-electric pedometers in primary school Japanese children

Pedometers are used in many studies because physical activities can be simply assessed using them. In addition to the spring-levered type, piezo-electric pedometers have recently been used. However, their accuracy in children has not been investigated in previous studies. In this study, we investigated the accuracy of spring-levered pedometer and piezo-electric pedometer step counts in comparison with hand-tallied step counts with children during self-paced walking. First to 6th-grade primary school children (394 subjects; 201 boys and 193 girls) walked with pedometers on an outdoor 50-m course, and the measured values were compared with actual steps at 3 speeds: normal, slow, and fast paces. The counts obtained by the spring-levered pedometer were significantly lower than the actual steps in most grades at all walking paces. In the normal- and fast-pace walking, the counts by spring-levered pedometer were significantly lower than the actual steps in all grades excluding the 5th grade. Moreover, the spring-levered pedometer underestimated by 25% or more in all grades at slow pace. In contrast, the percent error of the counts by the piezo-electric pedometers at normal pace were mostly within +/-3%, confirming their high accuracy. Based on these findings, spring-levered pedometers are not appropriate for children, whereas piezo-electric pedometers are useful for investigation of the physical activity of children.     

Examining physical activity and inactivity in 9-12 years old children

Information about children's daily physical activity in Eastern-Europe is essential because of the increasing prevalence in overweight and obesity. Sixty-three children (age=11.16 ± 1.10 years; 33 boys and 30 girls) from two public elementary schools had their physical activity objectively measured using uni-axial accelerometer every 5 seconds for five consecutive days (3 weekdays, 2 weekend days). After data cleaning, 10 children were excluded from database. There were no significant differences in boys' and girls' BMI (17.6 ± 2.2 vs. 17.1 ± 2.4) and BF% (18.0 ± 5.2 vs. 19.4 ± 5.0). Children engaged in more sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity and had higher counts per minute during weekdays compared to weekend days. There were no sex differences in moderate to vigorous physical activity (87.6 ± 22.4 vs. 93.5 ± 20.6 min and 53.6 ± 21.3 vs. 59.4 ± 22.0 min) during weekday and weekend days. Data indicated that 96% of the girls and 92% of the boys met the international physical activity guideline for children of 60 minutes of MVPA, on weekdays.     

Cardiorespiratory fitness and sedentary activities are associated with adiposity in adolescents

Objective: To determine whether physical activity, sedentary activities, and/or cardiorespiratory fitness are related to waist circumference in adolescents, as previously reported in adults. Research Methods and Procedures: The study subjects were a representative sample of Spanish adolescents (N = 2859; 1357 boys, 1502 girls; age, 13 to 18.5 years), all of whom were involved in the AVENA (Food and Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Adolescents) study. BMI, waist circumference, pubertal maturation status, and cardiorespiratory fitness were measured in all. Leisure‐time physical activity, sedentary activities, active commuting to school, and socioeconomic status were assessed by self‐reported questionnaires. Results: No relationship was found between leisure‐time physical activity and BMI or waist circumference. In contrast, and in both boys and girls and after adjustment for confounding variables, cardiorespiratory fitness was found to be inversely associated with waist circumference and BMI, independent of sedentary activities or physical activity (p ≤ 0.001). The maximum oxygen consumption explained 13% of the variance in waist circumference in boys and 16% in girls. Sedentary activities were independently and directly related to waist circumference in both boys and girls (p ≤ 0.05) and to BMI in boys (p ≤ 0.05). Sedentary activities explained 10% of the variance in waist circumference in boys and 18% in girls. The BMI‐adjusted waist circumference was inversely correlated with cardiorespiratory fitness in overweight‐obese boys (p ≤ 0.05) and showed a trend toward significance in girls (p ≤ 0.1). Discussion: Both moderate to high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness and sedentary activities, but not physical activity, are associated with lower abdominal adiposity, as measured by waist circumference.     

Predicting maintenance or achievement of healthy weight in children: the impact of changes in physical fitness

Physical fitness is often inversely associated with adiposity in children cross-sectionally, but the effect of becoming fit or maintaining fitness over time on changes in weight status has not been well studied in children. We investigated the impact of changes in fitness over 1-4 years of follow-up on the maintenance or achievement of healthy weight among 2,793 schoolchildren who were first measured as 1st to 7th graders. Students were classified as "fit" or "underfit" according to age- and gender-specific norms in five fitness domains: endurance, agility, flexibility, upper body strength, and abdominal strength. Weight status was dichotomized by BMI percentile: "healthy weight" (<85th percentile) or "overweight/obese" (≥85th percentile). At baseline, of the 38.3% overweight/obese children, 81.9% (N = 875) were underfit. Underfit overweight students were more likely to achieve healthy weight if they achieved fitness (boys: odds ratio (OR) = 2.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.24-5.77; girls: OR = 4.67, 95%CI = 2.09-10.45). Initially fit overweight children (N = 194) were more likely to achieve healthy weight if they maintained fitness (boys: OR = 11.99, 95%CI = 2.18-65.89; girls: OR = 2.46, 95%CI = 1.04-5.83). Similarly, initially fit healthy-weight children (N = 717) were more likely to maintain healthy weight if they maintained fitness (boys: OR 3.70, 95%CI = 1.40-9.78; girls: OR = 4.14, 95%CI = 1.95-8.78). Overweight schoolchildren who achieve or maintain physical fitness are more likely to achieve healthy weight, and healthy-weight children who maintain fitness are more likely to maintain healthy weight. School-based policies/practices that support physical fitness may contribute to obesity reduction and maintenance of healthy weight among schoolchildren.     

Decreased External Skeletal Robustness in Schoolchildren – A Global Trend? Ten Year Comparison of Russian and German Data

Objectives

Obesity and a reduced physical activity are global developments. Physical activity affects the external skeletal robustness which decreased in German children. It was assumed that the negative trend of decreased external skeletal robustness can be found in other countries. Therefore anthropometric data of Russian and German children from the years 2000 and 2010 were compared.

Methods

Russian (2000/2010 n = 1023/268) and German (2000/2010 n = 2103/1750) children aged 6–10 years were investigated. Height, BMI and external skeletal robustness (Frame-Index) were examined and compared for the years and the countries. Statistical analysis was performed by Mann-Whitney-Test.

Results

Comparison 2010 and 2000: In Russian children BMI was significantly higher; boys were significantly taller and exhibited a decreased Frame-Index (p = .002) in 2010. German boys showed significantly higher BMI in 2010. In both sexes Frame-Index (p = .001) was reduced in 2010. Comparison Russian and German children in 2000: BMI, height and Frame-Index were different between Russian and German children. German children were significantly taller but exhibited a lower Frame-Index (p<.001). Even German girls showed a significantly higher BMI. Comparison Russian and German children in 2010: BMI and Frame-Index were different. Russian children displayed a higher Frame-Index (p<.001) compared with Germans.

Conclusions

In Russian children BMI has increased in recent years. Frame-Index is still higher in Russian children compared with Germans however in Russian boys Frame-Index is reduced. This trend and the physical activity should be observed in the future.