title: Associations between physical activity and health-related fitness - volume versus pattern.
abstract: Approximately 3.2 million people die of non-communicable diseases (NCD) each year due to insufficient physical activity. Physical activity guidelines are possibly perceived as too demanding and might thus pose a barrier. We addressed the question if a more stable physical activity pattern is associated with higher levels of health-related fitness than one with high and low intensities, regardless of the physical activity level (PAL). Physical activity was objectively measured in 296 men and women (53.7 ± 8.94 years) with the SenseWear Pro Armband®. Using this data, the PAL and a Gini index were calculated to report the physical activity pattern. Health-related fitness was expressed as a fitness index. PAL was weakly correlated to health-related fitness (r = 0.38, P < .0001). The Gini index was also weakly correlated to the fitness index (r = 0.23, P < .0001). Results of the ANCOVA showed that participants in the first quartile of PAL always scored significantly lower for health-related fitness than participants in quartile four, after adjustment for the Gini index. These results suggest that as long as the volume of physical activity is high, health-related fitness will be high as well, independent of the physical activity pattern or variability in intensities throughout the day.
authors.affiliation: a Physical Activity, Sports and Health Research Group, Department of Kinesiology , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.|b Department of Movement and Sport Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knaeps
authors.affiliation: b Department of Movement and Sport Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Jan G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Bourgois
authors.affiliation: a Physical Activity, Sports and Health Research Group, Department of Kinesiology , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
authors.forename: Ruben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Charlier
authors.affiliation: a Physical Activity, Sports and Health Research Group, Department of Kinesiology , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.|c Department of Human Biometrics and Biomechanics , Vrije Universiteit Brussel , Brussels , Belgium.
authors.forename: Evelien
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.affiliation: a Physical Activity, Sports and Health Research Group, Department of Kinesiology , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lefevre
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D000072599:Cardiorespiratory Fitness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength; D010807:Physical Endurance; D010809:Physical Fitness; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Gini-index; SenseWear®; non-communicable diseases; physical activity level; physical activity pattern