title: Role of cardiorespiratory fitness on the association between physical activity and abdominal fat content in adolescents: the HELENA study.
abstract: We examined the role of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on the association between physical activity (PA) and abdominal fat content in adolescents. Abdominal fat content was measured by waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at 3 regions (R1, R2, and R3). PA and CRF were assessed by accelerometry and the 20 m-shuttle run test, respectively. Vigorous PA was inversely associated with waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio (β from -0.149 to -0.197; p<0.05). In both CRF groups (i. e., low and high), vigorous and moderate-to-vigorous PA (also average PA in the low CRF group) were inversely associated with abdominal fat (i. e., R1, R2 and R3; β from -0.146 to -0.244; p<0.05). This association did not differ according to CRF group (P for interaction >0.05), yet the percentage of variance in abdominal fat content, when assessed by DXA, explained by PA was slightly higher in adolescents with low CRF (3-8%) compared to those with high CRF (2-4%). The findings indicate that there is not a clear interaction effect of CRF in the association between PA and abdominal fat in adolescents, yet slightly stronger association was observed in the low fit group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. vanespa@ugr.es
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: España-Romero
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Artero
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martínez-Gómez
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vicente-Rodriguez
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moliner-Urdiales
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gracia-Marco
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ciarapica
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Widhalm
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Castillo Garzon
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sjöstrom
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Moreno
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D055105:Waist Circumference