Adiposity and High Blood Pressure during Childhood: A Prospective Analysis of the Role of Physical Activity Intensity and Sedentary Time in the GECKO Drenthe Cohort

Abstract

Whereas in adults, physical inactivity is strongly related to obesity and hypertension, in young children the evidence is inconsistent and scarce. We examined the association between physical activity (PA) behaviours at 5–6 years of age and adiposity and blood pressure (BP) at 10–11 years in 947 children (51% boys) from the Groningen Expert Center for Kids with Obesity (GECKO) Drenthe cohort. Sedentary time (ST) and light, moderate, and vigorous PA were assessed using accelerometry (ActiGraph GT3X, wear time > 600 min/day, ≥3 days). Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and systolic and diastolic BP were measured at 5–6 and 10–11 years of age and standardized as age- and sex-adjusted (and height-adjusted, for BP) z-scores. Adjusted linear and logistic regression models showed that most PA behaviours were not related to standardized BMI or WC, overweightness/obesity, abdominal overweightness/obesity, standardized systolic or diastolic BP, pulse pressure, or prehypertension at 10–11 years of age. Only if children spent more time in vigorous PA was WC slightly lower (B (95% CI) = −0.08 (−0.16, −0.01) SD, stdβ = −0.068) and the increase in WC over the years was less (B (95% CI) = −0.10 (−0.18, −0.01) SD; stdβ = −0.083). To conclude, at this very young age, PA behaviours are not a strong predictor for overweightness/obesity or hypertension later in childhood.

Dietary Patterns in Early Childhood and the Risk of Childhood Overweight: The GECKO Drenthe Birth Cohort

“…Additionally, the analyses were adjusted for several known confounders; however, information on sedentary and physical activity was not available. In the GECKO Drenthe cohort, objectively measured moderate-tovigorous physical activity at 5-6 years of age was not associated with overweight [51].…”

Promoting Health in Pediatric Obesity: A Decade\'s Research of Physical Activity\'s Influence on Cardiometabolic Parameters

“…This may happen due to increased dependency on technology. However, according to literature, physical activity in childhood has a marginal effect on obesity or blood pressure in the later years of a child’s life, which leads to following conclusion: the earlier we start to stimulate physical activity in a child, the better it is for children’s motor and cognitive development [ 14 ]. The results of the studies indicate the importance of physical activity characteristics in its effectiveness in modeling blood pressure and selected cardiometabolic parameters.…”

“…Behaviors associated with physical activity are perceived as one of the key factors in the prevention of overweight and obesity and for the reduction of cardiometabolic risk [ 14 ]. Several mechanisms have been proposed to mediate the protective effect of physical activity and physical fitness on cardiometabolic risk, namely, anti-inflammatory effects, increased insulin sensitivity, higher glucose uptake independent of insulin, an improved lipid profile, and the function of hormones and enzymes involved in fat metabolism [ 15 ].…”

“…Obesity is strongly connected with elevated concentrations of circulating inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) [ 10 ]. Studies have shown that children and adolescents with low levels of cardiopulmonary capacity who have overweight or obesity have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases or metabolic syndrome during puberty or in adulthood [ 1 , 14 , 44 , 45 ]. Children with overweight or obesity are more likely to develop cardiovascular problems in the form of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, dyslipidemia, and stroke [ 35 , 36 , 46 ].…”