Physical Activity Patterns and Cardiometabolic Risk in Children and Adolescents with Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Metabolic Health
• Cardiovascular Risk Assessment

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a significant global health concern.
• Associated with early metabolic and cardiovascular complications.
• Conventional anthropometric indicators may not fully capture metabolic status.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare physical activity and lifestyle in obese vs. normal-weight youth.
• Explore associations with clinical measurements and cardiometabolic risk.
• Evaluate the utility of resting metabolic rate (RMR) assessment.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cross-sectional study of 88 children/adolescents (5-18 years).
• Included anthropometric, biochemical, and indirect calorimetry for RMR.
• Lifestyle questionnaire on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and wearable device use.

Main Results:

• Obese youth had higher BMI, RMR, and sedentary time, with lower physical activity.
• RMR positively correlated with BMI, central adiposity, blood pressure, waist-to-height, hepatic steatosis, and exercise tolerance.
• Wearable device use in obese group did not correlate with higher activity levels.

Conclusions:

• Obese children and adolescents present a clustered cardiometabolic risk profile and reduced physical activity.
• Resting metabolic rate via indirect calorimetry aids comprehensive metabolic assessment in pediatric obesity.
• Lifestyle factors and metabolic rate require further investigation in pediatric obesity management.