Compositional Analyses of the Associations Between Sedentary Time and Different Intensities of Physical Activity with Cardiometabolic Health Markers Among School-Age Children

Abstract

Preventing excessive weight, obesity, and related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases are significant benefits of physical activity (PA) in children and adolescents. According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), children can achieve significant health benefits by engaging in an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA). This research aimed to examine the impact of adherence to PA recommendations on selected cardiovascular health indicators and explore the relationship between these indicators and PA and sedentary behavior (SB) parameters. The sample consisted of 101 children (65 boys and 36 girls), aged 8–12 years (M=10.56 ± 1.47), attending primary schools in the region of Rhodope, Greece. PA assessment was conducted using Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers, while the health indicators examined were blood pressure, resting heart rate, body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the impact of adherence to PA recommendations on cardiovascular health indicators. The relationship between movement behavior parameters and selected health indicators was examined using linear regression analysis and the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). According to the results, adherence to PA recommendations appears to influence most of the children's cardiovascular health indicators, while vigorous PA demonstrates particular protection against cardiovascular diseases associated with excessive weight.