Prevalence of elevated mean arterial pressure and how fitness moderates its association with BMI in youth.
OBJECTIVE
Cardiorespiratory fitness is known to be cardioprotective and its association with the components of the metabolic syndrome in children is becoming clearer. The aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which cardiorespiratory fitness may offset the weight-related association with mean arterial pressure (MAP) in schoolchildren.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Schoolchildren from the East of England, U.K.


METHODS
A total of 5983 (48% females) schoolchildren, 10 to 16 years of age, had height, weight and blood pressure measured by standard procedures and cardiorespiratory fitness assessed by the 20 m shuttle-run test. Participants were classified as fit or unfit using internationally accepted fitness cut-off points; and as normal weight, overweight or obese based on BMI, again using international cut-off points. Age-adjusted ANCOVA was used to determine the main effects and interaction of fitness and BMI on MAP Z-score. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios of elevated MAP.


RESULTS
Prevalence of elevated MAP in schoolchildren was 14.8% overall and 35.7% in those who were obese-unfit. Approximately 21% of participants were overweight and 5% obese, while 23% were classified as unfit. MAP generally increased across BMI categories and was higher in the aerobically unfit participants. Obese-fit males had lower MAP compared with obese-unfit males (P < 0.001); this trend was similar in females (P = 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Increasing fitness level may have a positive impact on the weight-related elevations of MAP seen in obese and overweight schoolchildren.
1 Centre for Sport and Exercise Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Campus, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3SQ, UK.
Ayodele A
AA
Ogunleye
Gavin R
GR
Sandercock
Christine
C
Voss
Joey C
JC
Eisenmann
Katharine
K
Reed
D000293:Adolescent; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors