title: Associations of cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, and adiposity with arterial stiffness in children.
abstract: Associations of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and body fat percentage (BF%) with arterial stiffness and dilation capacity were investigated in 160 prepubertal children (83 girls) 6-8 years of age. We assessed CRF (watts/lean mass) by maximal cycle ergometer exercise test, total PA, structured exercise, unstructured PA, commuting to and from school, recess PA and total and screen-based sedentary behavior by questionnaire, BF% using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and arterial stiffness and dilation capacity using pulse contour analysis. Data were adjusted for sex and age. Poorer CRF (standardized regression coefficient β = -0.297, P < 0.001), lower unstructured PA (β = -0.162, P = 0.042), and higher BF% (β = 0.176, P = 0.044) were related to higher arterial stiffness. When CRF, unstructured PA, and BF% were in the same model, only CRF was associated with arterial stiffness (β = -0.246, P = 0.006). Poorer CRF was also related to lower arterial dilation capacity (β = 0.316, P < 0.001). Children with low CRF (< median) and high BF% (≥ median; P = 0.002), low CRF and low unstructured PA (< median; P = 0.006) or children with low unstructured PA and high BF% (P = 0.005) had higher arterial stiffness than children in the opposite halves of these variables. Poor CRF was independently associated with increased arterial stiffness and impaired arterial dilation capacity among children.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veijalainen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.|Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tompuri
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Haapala
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.|Institute of Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viitasalo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lintu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.|Institute of Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Väistö
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.|Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Laitinen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lindi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.|Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.|Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Lakka
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D001158:Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D059289:Vascular Stiffness; D014664:Vasodilation
keywords: Endothelial function; adiposity; arterial stiffness; atherosclerosis; exercise; physical fitness