Correlation between Physical Activity, Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Anthropometric Characteristics in Primary School Children

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between physical activity, Mediterranean diet and anthropometrics in children aged 7-9 years. The sample consisted of 139 healthy children (71 females, 68 males), who underwent assessment of their anthropometric characteristics, physical activity and adherence to Mediterranean diet. The anthropometric parameters included body fat percentage, measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiom-etry (DXA), waist and hips circumferences as well as waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). The 7-day physical activity was measured by accelerometry (ActiGraph GT3X+), while adherence to Mediterra-nean diet was assessed by using KIDMED index. Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis performed to investigate the relationship between variables. It was found that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) had statistically significant negative correlation with body fat percentage both in males and females. In addition, MVPA in females was negatively correlated with body fat distribution. KIDMED index was negatively correlated with hip circumference only in boys. In conclusion, MVPA may have a more pronounced effect on girls’ body fat distribution compared to boys; however, further investigation is needed.