title: Participation in vigorous sports, not moderate sports, is positively associated with cardiorespiratory fitness among adolescent girls.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is controversy regarding whether moderately-intense sports can improve physical fitness, which declines throughout adolescence among girls. The objective was to estimate the association between moderate and vigorous sports participation and cardiorespiratory fitness in a racially diverse sample of adolescent girls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured using a modified physical work capacity test in 1029 eighth-grade girls participating in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls. Girls reported sports in which they participated in the last year on an organized activity questionnaire. Using general linear mixed models, the study regressed absolute and relative fitness on the number of vigorous and moderate sports in which girls participated, race/ethnicity, age, treatment group, fat mass, fat-free mass, and an interaction between race and fat-free mass.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of vigorous sports in which girls participated was positively associated with absolute fitness (β = 10.20, P = .04) and relative fitness (β = 0.17, P = .04). Associations were reduced, but not eliminated, after controlling for MET-weighted MVPA. Participation in moderate sports was not associated with either fitness measure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vigorous sports participation is positively associated with cardiorespiratory fitness. Future longitudinal research should analyze whether promoting vigorous sports at an early age can prevent age-related declines in cardiorespiratory fitness among adolescent girls.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago.
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Taber
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: Eileen Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Charneco
authors.forename: Marsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dowda
authors.forename: Jennie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Scott B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Going
mesh_terms: D056044:Actigraphy; D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016552:Ergometry; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D013177:Sports; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States