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Associations between abdominal adiposity, body size and objectively measured physical activity in infants from
Alessandra Prioreschi1, Ken K Ong2,3, Emanuella De Lucia Rolfe3
1SAMRC/WITS Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Alessandra.Prioreschi@wits.ac.za.
Insights
Higher physical activity in infancy is linked to healthy growth. This study found normal weight infants and those with less subcutaneous abdominal fat were more active, suggesting activity may indicate healthy development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Child Health
- Growth and Development
Background:
- Rising childhood adiposity and declining physical activity are global health concerns.
- Early life is a critical period for establishing healthy growth patterns.
- Understanding factors influencing infant physical activity is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between abdominal adiposity (visceral and subcutaneous fat) and body size with objectively measured physical activity in infants.
- To explore how different measures of body composition relate to physical activity levels in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 138 infants (3-24 months) in Soweto, South Africa.
- Abdominal fat (visceral and subcutaneous) measured via ultrasound; physical activity assessed using accelerometry.
- Multilevel linear regression analyses were employed, adjusting for relevant covariates.
Main Results:
- No significant association was found between overall body composition variables and physical activity.
- Infants in higher length tertiles exhibited significantly higher physical activity.
- Normal weight infants showed higher physical activity than underweight or overweight infants. Lower subcutaneous abdominal fat was associated with higher physical activity.
Conclusions:
- Higher physical activity in infancy may serve as an indicator of healthy growth.
- These findings highlight the importance of promoting physical activity in the first two years of life.
- Further research can explore interventions to optimize physical activity and healthy growth trajectories.
Objectives:
Considering the importance of the early life period, in conjunction with the increasing prevalence of adiposity and insufficient physical activity already evident in early childhood, this study aimed to determine associations between abdominal adiposity, body size, and objectively measured physical activity in infancy.
Methods:
Infants (n = 138, aged 3-24 months) from Soweto, South Africa were recruited to this cross-sectional study. Visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous abdominal fat (SAT) were measured using ultrasound. Physical activity was assessed using accelerometry and analysed at the hourly level. Multilevel linear regression analyses were run with body composition exposures adjusted for age, sex, and length; models with VAT and SAT were also adjusted for total abdominal fat.
Results:
Mean (SD) age was 11.8 (7.6) months; 86% were normal weight, 7% were underweight and 7% overweight. In linear models, no body composition variable was significantly associated with physical activity. Physical activity was higher with each increasing length tertile (ANOVA p < 0.01); with a mean(95%CI) 29(60-60)mg in the lowest tertile, 39(71-71)mg in the middle tertile, and 50(81-82)mg in the highest tertile. Infants with normal weight had higher mean(95%CI) physical activity (40(70-80)mg) than underweight (34(73-85)mg, p = 0.01) or overweight infants (31(63-78)mg, ANOVA p < 0.01). When also adjusting for total abdominal fat, infants in the lowest SAT tertile had higher physical activity than those in the middle or highest SAT tertiles (p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
These findings lend support for higher physical activity as a marker of healthy growth in the first two years of life.
