Dose–response associations of Monitor‐Independent Movement Summary with health‐related fitness in youth

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the dose–response associations between Monitor‐Independent Movement Summary (MIMS) units and health‐related fitness in youth. The sample comprised US children and adolescents who participated in the 2012 National Youth Fitness Survey (NNYFS; N = 1158, 48.9% female). Health‐related fitness domains were assessed using tests of cardiorespiratory endurance (timed maximal and graded treadmill tests), muscular strength (modified pull‐up and grip tests), and muscular endurance (plank test). Movement data were collected using wrist‐worn ActiGraph accelerometers with raw data processed using MIMS and the calculated metrics of average MIMS/day, Peak 60‐min MIMS, and Peak 30‐min MIMS. Weighted regression models examined linear associations between MIMS metrics and fitness test scores. Nonlinear associations were examined using weighted spline models with knots placed at the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles. Models were adjusted for covariates and fit was examined using the coefficient of determination (R2). The strongest adjusted linear relationships included a positive association between MIMS/day (per every 1000 units) and maximal endurance times (b = 5.5 s, p < 0.001) and between Peak 60‐min MIMS (per every 10 units) and estimated aerobic capacity (b = 1.7 mL/kg/min, p < 0.001), modified pull‐ups (b = 0.7 reps, p < 0.001), and plank test scores (b = 5.0 s, p < 0.001). Linear spline models had slightly higher R2 values (R2 range = 16.9%–74.8%) compared to linear models (R2 range = 15.0%–74.5%). The relationship between MIMS metrics and fitness test scores was best modeled as piecewise linear functions. Although all MIMS metrics associated with cardiorespiratory endurance, Peak 60‐min MIMS showed stronger associations with tests of muscular strength and endurance.