Metabolic characteristics of Appalachian children

The purpose of this investigation is to assess the physiological characteristics and the resting metabolic rates of a representative population of children in Buchanan County in order to identify those factors that may be contributing to the predisposition for being overweight or obese and provide nutritional and physical activity guidance for prevention.

Twenty-three volunteers from grades 5, 6 and 7 from Buchannan County, VA underwent parametric and metabolic testing over three consecutive years in order to determine their height, weight, BMI, percent body fat, resting oxygen consumption (VO₂), resting energy expenditure (REE), respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and daily energy expenditure (DEE) and consumption.

Over the 3 year study period, subjects' BMI increased significantly over time (p = 0.001) while there were no changes in their, REE, RER, VO₂, percent fat and DEE. However, there was a moderate negative correlation between VO₂ and BMI in grade 5 (r = -0.578, p = 0.002), grade 6 (r = -0.477, p = 0.015) and grade 7 (r = -0.438, p = 0.023). Gender specific differences in percent body fat were evident among subjects during the last two measurement cycles and were strongly correlated with BMI (r = 0.907, r = 0.959, p = 0.000).

The use of resting VO₂, REE, and RER values as a screening tool for identifying those children or adolescents at risk for becoming overweight or obese is most likely cost and time prohibitive due to the need for several repeated measures to ensure accurate results. However increased VO₂ is correlated with decreased BMI.