"Fitness and Fatness" in Children and Adolescents: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study

doi:10.3390/children8090762

. 2021 Aug 31;8(9):762.

doi: 10.3390/children8090762.

"Fitness and Fatness" in Children and Adolescents: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study

Matteo Vandoni¹, Valeria Calcaterra^{2

3}, Vittoria Carnevale Pellino^{1

4}, Annalisa De Silvestri⁵, Luca Marin^{1

6}, Gian Vincenzo Zuccotti^{2

7}, Valeria Tranfaglia², Matteo Giuriato⁸, Roberto Codella^{9

10}, Nicola Lovecchio¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Adapted Motor Activity (LAMA), Department of Public Health, Experimental Medicine and Forensic Science, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
² Pediatric Department, "Vittore Buzzi" Children's Hospital, 20154 Milan, Italy.
³ Pediatric and Adolescent Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
⁴ Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy.
⁵ Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Scientific Direction, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
⁶ Department of Research, ASOMI College of Sciences, 2080 Marsa, Malta.
⁷ Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science "L. Sacco", Università degli Studi di Milano, 20157 Milan, Italy.
⁸ Unit of Molecular Biology, Department of Health and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Physical Culture, Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, 80336 Gdansk, Poland.
⁹ Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy.
¹⁰ Department of Endocrinology, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, IRCCS MultiMedica, 20138 Milan, Italy.
¹¹ Department of Human and Social Science, University of Bergamo, 24127 Bergamo, Italy.

PMID: 34572192
PMCID: PMC8470229
DOI: 10.3390/children8090762

"Fitness and Fatness" in Children and Adolescents: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study

Matteo Vandoni et al. Children (Basel). 2021.

. 2021 Aug 31;8(9):762.

doi: 10.3390/children8090762.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Adapted Motor Activity (LAMA), Department of Public Health, Experimental Medicine and Forensic Science, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
² Pediatric Department, "Vittore Buzzi" Children's Hospital, 20154 Milan, Italy.
³ Pediatric and Adolescent Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
⁴ Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy.
⁵ Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Scientific Direction, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
⁶ Department of Research, ASOMI College of Sciences, 2080 Marsa, Malta.
⁷ Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science "L. Sacco", Università degli Studi di Milano, 20157 Milan, Italy.
⁸ Unit of Molecular Biology, Department of Health and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Physical Culture, Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, 80336 Gdansk, Poland.
⁹ Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy.
¹⁰ Department of Endocrinology, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, IRCCS MultiMedica, 20138 Milan, Italy.
¹¹ Department of Human and Social Science, University of Bergamo, 24127 Bergamo, Italy.

PMID: 34572192
PMCID: PMC8470229
DOI: 10.3390/children8090762

Abstract

Children with obesity tend to have lower level of physical activity compared to non-obese peers. In fact, sedentary behaviors are prevalent in obese children causing difficulties to perform motor tasks and engaging in sport activities. This, in turn, has direct repercussions on adiposity and related comorbidities. The aim of the study was to investigate several components of fitness and their relationship with the degree of fatness in children. We considered 485 Italian schoolchildren (9.5 ± 1.12 years). BMI and prediction modelling outputs of fat mass were employed as markers of body fatness. Physical fitness (PF) was assessed by the 9-item test battery (explosive power, leg muscle power, arm muscle power, upper body power, coordination, agility, speed and endurance). Differences between groups in the PF tests (p < 0.05) were noted. A similar pattern was reflected in both genders. The relationship between anthropometrics' characteristics and PF tests showed that weight and fat mass had a high level of correlation with different PF tests. Our findings highlight the importance of investigating the degree of fatness in relation with different components of fitness, in children and adolescents. This combination of proxies may cover an unexpectedly helpful screening of the youth population, for both health and performance.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease risk factors; children; fatness; fitness; physical fitness test.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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References

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[1] World Health Organization Noncommunicable Diseases: Childhood Overweight and Obesity. [(accessed on 30 July 2021)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood/en/

[2] World Health Organization Noncommunicable Diseases: Childhood Overweight and Obesity. [(accessed on 30 July 2021)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood/en/

[3] Di Cesare M., Sorić M., Bovet P., Miranda J.J., Bhutta Z., Stevens G.A., Laxmaiah A., Kengne A.P., Bentham J. The epidemiological burden of obesity in childhood: A worldwide epidemic requiring urgent action. BMC Med. 2019;17:212. doi: 10.1186/s12916-019-1449-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Di Cesare M., Sorić M., Bovet P., Miranda J.J., Bhutta Z., Stevens G.A., Laxmaiah A., Kengne A.P., Bentham J. The epidemiological burden of obesity in childhood: A worldwide epidemic requiring urgent action. BMC Med. 2019;17:212. doi: 10.1186/s12916-019-1449-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Kansra A.R., Lakkunarajah S., Jay M.S. Childhood and Adolescent Obesity: A Review. Front. Pediatr. 2021;8:866. doi: 10.3389/fped.2020.581461. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[6] Kansra A.R., Lakkunarajah S., Jay M.S. Childhood and Adolescent Obesity: A Review. Front. Pediatr. 2021;8:866. doi: 10.3389/fped.2020.581461. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[7] Ruiz-Montero P.J., Chiva-Bartoll O., Baena-Extremera A., Hortigüela-Alcalá D. Gender, physical self-perception and overall physical fitness in secondary school students: A multiple mediation model. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2020;17:6871. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186871. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[8] Ruiz-Montero P.J., Chiva-Bartoll O., Baena-Extremera A., Hortigüela-Alcalá D. Gender, physical self-perception and overall physical fitness in secondary school students: A multiple mediation model. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2020;17:6871. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186871. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[9] Ortega F.B., Lavie C.J., Blair S.N. Obesity and cardiovascular disease. Circ. Res. 2016;118:1752–1770. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115.306883. - DOI - PubMed

[10] Ortega F.B., Lavie C.J., Blair S.N. Obesity and cardiovascular disease. Circ. Res. 2016;118:1752–1770. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115.306883. - DOI - PubMed

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"Fitness and Fatness" in Children and Adolescents: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study

Affiliations

"Fitness and Fatness" in Children and Adolescents: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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References

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