Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness, motor competence, and adiposity in children

Cross-sectional associations between physical fitness and biomarkers of inflammation in children-The PANIC study

BACKGROUND

Systemic low-grade inflammation has been proposed as an underlying pathophysiological mechanism for cardiometabolic diseases. We investigated the associations of physical fitness with a systemic low-grade inflammatory state in a population sample of children.

METHODS

Altogether 391 children aged 6-9 years were examined. Cardiorespiratory fitness (maximal power output, W_max ) was assessed by a maximal cycle ergometer test and neuromuscular fitness by hand grip strength, sit-up, standing long jump, 50-meter shuttle run, static balance, sit-and-reach, and box and block tests. Body fat percentage (BF%) and lean mass (LM) were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), leptin, leptin receptor, high molecular weight adiponectin (HMW-adiponectin), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA) were assessed from fasting blood samples. The modified inflammatory score (IS) was calculated using the population-specific z-scores and formula (^z hs-CRP + ^z leptin + ^z IL-6 + ^z TNF-α + ^z GlycA)-^z leptin receptor-^z HMW-adiponectin. The data were analyzed using linear regression analyses.

RESULTS

Higher W_max /kg of body mass (β = -0.416, 95% CI = -0.514 to -0.318), higher number of completed sit-ups (β = -0.147, 95% CI = -0.244 to -0.049), a longer distance jumped in the standing long jump test (β = -0.270, 95% CI = -0.371 to -0.169), and a shorter time in the 50-meter shuttle run test (β = 0.123, 95% CI = 0.022 to 0.223) were associated with lower IS. None of these associations remained statistically significant after adjustment for BF%.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher physical fitness is associated with a more favorable inflammatory biomarker profile in children. However, the associations were explained by BF%.

Effect of Childhood Developmental Coordination Disorder on Adulthood Physical Activity; Arvo Ylppö Longitudinal Study

Individuals at risk of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have low levels of physical activity in childhood due to impaired motor competence; however, physical activity levels in adulthood have not been established. This study sought to determine the impact of DCD risk on physical activity levels in adults using accelerometry measurement. Participants (n = 656) from the Arvo Ylppö Longitudinal Study cohort had their motor competence assessed at the age of five years, and their physical activity quantified via device assessment at the age of 25 years. Between group differences were assessed to differentiate physical activity measures for individuals based on DCD risk status, with general linear modeling performed to control for the effects of sex, body mass index (BMI), and maternal education. Participants at risk of DCD were found to have a lower total number of steps (d = 0.3, p = 0.022) than those not at risk. Statistical modeling indicated that DCD risk status increased time spent in sedentary light activity (β = 0.1, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.3, p = 0.026) and decreased time spent in vigorous physical activity via interaction with BMI (β = 0.04, 95% CI 0.001 to 0.1, p = 0.025). Sensitivity analysis found that visuomotor impairment did not significantly impact physical activity but did increase the role of DCD risk status in some models. This 20‐year‐longitudinal study indicated that DCD risk status continues to negatively impact on levels of physical activity into early adulthood.