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Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and Sleep Time:Association with Cardiovascular Hemodynamic Parameters, Blood
Mariana Gómez-García1, Daniel Bia2, Yanina Zócalo2
1Departamento de Educación Física y Salud, Instituto Superior de Educación Física, Universidad de la República, Parque José Batlle y Ordoñez S/N, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay.
Insights
Movement behavior (MB) components like physical activity and sedentary behavior are linked to children's cardiovascular health. However, their impact on cardiovascular characteristics is less significant than factors like anthropometry and high blood pressure.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric cardiovascular health
- Childhood movement behavior research
- Public health and preventative medicine
Background:
- The relationship between movement behavior (MB) components (sleep time (ST), physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB)) and cardiovascular (CV) health in children is debated.
- It remains unclear if specific MB components or subcomponents independently influence blood pressure (BP) and arterial properties in early childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess associations between MB components/subcomponents and CV characteristics in young children.
- To determine the extent to which variations in MB explain variations in CV properties at school entry.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated anthropometry, BP, hemodynamics, arterial stiffness, and structural/functional arterial properties in 816 children (5-6 years).
- Assessed time spent in MB using PA questionnaires.
- Utilized multiple linear regression models with standardized CV z-scores as dependent variables, controlling for CV risk factors and MB components/subcomponents.
Main Results:
- CV variables demonstrated independent associations with MB variations.
- Anthropometric indexes, sex, and high BP had a greater explanatory capacity on CV characteristics than MB components.
- Specific MB subcomponents, like sedentary play and screen time, showed varied associations with CV parameters.
Conclusions:
- MB components and sub-components are associated with CV characteristics in children, independent of other factors.
- MB's explanatory power for CV variations is less than anthropometry, sex, or high BP.
- PA was linked to both BP and arterial structure, while SB was associated with BP only; ST primarily related to ventricular function.
Abstract:
An association between movement behavior (MB) components (sleep time (ST), physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB)) and the state of the cardiovascular (CV) system in children has been postulated. However, it is still controversial whether MB components and/or sub-components (domains) during childhood are independently associated with aortic and peripheral blood pressure (BP), and structural or functional arterial properties.
Aims:
(1) to evaluate MB components and subcomponents associations with CV characteristics, (2) to analyze the explanatory capacity of interindividual variations in MB on CV properties inter-individual variations at the beginning of school age.
Methods:
Anthropometric, aortic and peripheral BP, hemodynamic levels (cardiac output, systemic vascular resistances), wave reflection indexes, and arterial structural (diameter, intima-media thickness) and functional (blood flow velocities, Doppler-indexes, local and regional arterial stiffness) parameters of elastic (carotids), transitional (brachial) and muscular (femoral) arteries and time spent in MB (PA questionnaires) were assessed in 816 children (5-6 years). Cardiovascular variables were standardized (z-scores), using age- and sex-related mean values and standard deviations obtained from subjects non-exposed to CV risk factors (CRFs) and who complied with 24 h MB recommendations (reference subgroup). Multiple linear regression models were constructed considering the CV z-scores as dependent variables and CRFs and MB components and subcomponents as independent variables.
Results:
CV variables showed independent association with MB variations. However, their explanatory capacity on CV characteristics was lesser than that of anthropometric indexes, sex and/or high BP.
Conclusions:
MB components and sub-components were associated with CV characteristics regardless of other factors, but their capacity to explain variations was lesser than that of anthropometric data, sex or high BP state. MB subcomponents (e.g., sedentary play and screen time in case of SB) showed different (even opposite) associations with CV parameters. ST was associated mainly with indexes of the ventricle ejective function, rather than with CV structural characteristics. SB component and subcomponents were associated with BP, but not with structural parameters. PA component and subcomponents were associated with both BP and structural parameters. The different arterial types, as well central and peripheral parameters showed independent associations with MB components and subcomponents. None of these were independently associated with arterial stiffness.
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