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Combined associations between moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary behaviour with cardiometabolic
Jean-Philippe Chaput1, Travis John Saunders, Marie-Ève Mathieu
1Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. jpchaput@cheo.on.ca
Insights
High levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) in children are linked to better cardiometabolic health. Screen time, a type of sedentary behavior, showed stronger negative associations with health than overall sedentary time.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
- Lifestyle Medicine
Background:
- Childhood obesity and sedentary lifestyles are growing public health concerns.
- Cardiometabolic risk factors in childhood can predict adult cardiovascular disease.
- Understanding the interplay between physical activity and sedentary behavior is crucial for pediatric health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the combined associations of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time with cardiometabolic risk factors in Canadian children.
- To determine if screen time, as a specific sedentary behavior, has a differential impact on cardiometabolic health.
- To examine these relationships in children with a predisposition to obesity (at least one obese biological parent).
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 536 children aged 8-10 years.
- Objective measurement of MVPA and sedentary time using accelerometry over 7 days.
- Self-reported daily screen time and assessment of cardiometabolic risk factors (waist circumference, blood pressure, lipids, glucose).
Main Results:
- Higher MVPA levels were significantly associated with lower waist circumference, lower fasting triglycerides, lower diastolic blood pressure, and higher HDL cholesterol, independent of sedentary time.
- Overall sedentary time was not significantly associated with cardiometabolic risk factors after adjusting for MVPA.
- Higher self-reported screen time was independently associated with increased waist circumference and decreased HDL cholesterol.
Conclusions:
- Elevated levels of MVPA are protective against cardiometabolic risk in children, irrespective of total sedentary time.
- The type of sedentary behavior, specifically screen time, may be a more critical determinant of cardiometabolic risk than overall sedentary duration.
- Public health strategies should emphasize promoting MVPA and potentially limiting screen time in children to mitigate cardiometabolic risk.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to examine the combined associations between time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and time spent sedentary in relation to cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of Canadian children. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 536 white children aged 8-10 years with at least 1 obese biological parent. Time spent in MVPA and sedentary behaviour over 7 days was measured using accelerometry and participants were stratified by tertiles. Daily screen time over 7 days was also self-reported by the child. Outcomes included waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose concentrations. Analyses of covariance comparing tertiles of sedentary time/MVPA showed that higher levels of MVPA were associated with lower waist circumference, fasting triglycerides and diastolic blood pressure, and higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, irrespective of sedentary time. In linear regression, MVPA was inversely associated with waist circumference and diastolic blood pressure and positively associated with HDL cholesterol, independent of covariates including sedentary time. In contrast, sedentary time was positively associated with diastolic blood pressure but after adjustment for MVPA the association was no longer statistically significant. Self-reported screen time was positively associated with waist circumference and negatively associated with HDL cholesterol independent of covariates including MVPA. Overall, a high level of MVPA was associated with reduced cardiometabolic risk in this sample of children, regardless of their amount of sedentary behaviour. The type of sedentary behaviour (i.e., screen time) might be more important than overall sedentary time in relation to cardiometabolic risk.
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