No abstract

The present systematic review has identified a need for further research on the validity of fitness tests in preschool children, as well as on their relationship with health. Due to this limited information, the PREFIT battery hereby proposed is based on the output of the current systematic review in preschool children, together with existing evidence in older children and adolescents. While we wait for more evidence to be accumulated in preschool children, the PREFIT battery hereby proposed is a useful tool for assessing physical fitness in children aged 3-5 years.

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This study aimed to compare estimations of sedentary time (SED) and time spent in physical activity (PA) intensities in children with overweight/obesity across different age‐appropriate cut‐points based on different body‐worn attachment sites and acceleration metrics. A total of 104 overweight/obese children (10.1 ± 1.1 years old, 43 girls) concurrently wore ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers on their right hip and non‐dominant wrist for 7 days (24 hours). Euclidean norm −1 g (ENMO) and activity counts from both vertical axis (VACounts) and vector magnitude (VMCounts) were derived. We calculated estimates of SED and light, moderate, vigorous, and moderate‐to‐vigorous (MVPA) intensity PA using different published cut‐points for children. The prevalence of children meeting the recommended 60 min/d of MVPA was calculated. The time spent in SED and the different PA intensities largely differed across cut‐points based on different attachment sites and acceleration metrics (ie, SED = 11‐252 min/d; light PA = 10‐217 min/d; moderate PA = 1‐48 min/d; vigorous PA = 1‐35 min/d; MVPA = 4‐66 min/d). Consequently, the prevalence of children meeting the recommended 60 min/d of MVPA varied from 8% to 96% of the study sample. The present study provides a comprehensive comparison between available cut‐points for different attachment and acceleration metrics in children. Furthermore, our data clearly show that it is not possible (and probably will never be) to know the prevalence of meeting the PA guidelines based on accelerometer data since apparent differences range from almost zero to nearly everyone meeting the guidelines.

It is known that obesity is associated with biomechanical alterations during locomotor tasks, which is considered a potential risk factor for the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSKD). However, the association of obesity with biomechanical alterations of walking in the early stages of life have not yet been systematically reviewed.Thus, this review aims to summarize the biomechanical characteristics of walking in children and adolescents with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) versus their normalweight (NW) counterparts. PubMed and Web of Science were systematically searched until November 2018. We found strong and moderate evidence supporting biomechanical differences in the gait pattern of OW/OB with respect to NW. Based on strong evidence, the gait patterns of OW/OB present greater pelvis transversal plane motion, higher hip internal rotation, higher hip flexion, extension and abduction moments and power generation/absorption, greater knee abduction/adduction motion, and higher knee abduction/adduction moments and power generation/absorption. Based on moderate evidence, OW/OB walk with greater step width, longer stance phase, higher tibiofemoral contact forces, higher ankle plantarflexion moments and power generation, and greater gastrocnemius and soleus activation/forces. These biomechanical alterations during walking in OW/OB could play a major role in the onset and progression of MSKD.