Association between physical activity and health outcomes (high body fatness, high blood pressure) in Namibian adolescents and adult women

Regular physical activity (PA) is known to promote the physical and mental health of children and adolescents and further prevent the development of health problems in adulthood. Information on body composition and PA is crucial for health promotion strategies and for epidemiological studies informing policies. However, there is limited data on the association between body composition and PA in Namibia. This dearth of published data is a significant shortcoming in the development of strategies and policies to promote PA in Namibia. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the association between PA as a dependent variable and independent variables such as high blood pressure and body fatness as measured by different methods (gold standard deuterium dilution, body mass index, mid upper arm circumference, and waist circumference). The study included 206 healthy adolescent girls aged 13–19 years and 207 young adult females aged 20–40 years from Windhoek, Namibia. PA was measured using the PACE+ questionnaire in adolescents, and the GPAQ questionnaire was used for adults. In adolescents, only 33% of the participants met the recommended guidelines for PA, compared to only 2% for adults. Nevertheless, the study found no statistically significant association between PA and blood pressure indices (p-value < 0.05) among adolescents and adults. However, there was a significant association between PA and high body fatness (p-value < 0.001) and waist circumference (p-value = 0.014) in adolescents. Among adults, PA was significantly related to waist circumference only. In conclusion, failure to meet recommended PA guidelines is strongly associated with abdominal obesity and high body fatness. The knowledge gained from this study may be used by policymakers in the development of strategic policies and interventions aimed at promoting PA as a public priority and improving health outcomes

Self-Reported Physical Activity is Not a Valid Method for Measuring Physical Activity in 15-Year-Old South African Boys and Girls

Physical activity plays an important role in the prevention of chronic lifestyle-related diseases. The development of valid instruments for the assessment of physical activity remains a challenge in field studies. The purpose of the present study was therefore to determine the level of agreement between physical activity objectively measured by the ActiHeart&reg; (Cambridge Neurotechnology Ltd, Cambridge, UK) device and subjectively reported physical activity by means of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) among adolescents attending schools in the Tlokwe Local Municipality, South Africa. A cross-sectional study design was used with a total of 63 boys and 45 girls aged 15 years who took part in the Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal Study (PHALS). Stature and weight were measured according to standard International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) protocols. Objective physical activity (PA) was measured by a combined heart rate and accelerometer device (ActiHeart&reg;) for seven consecutive days. Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) was assessed. Subjective physical activity was assessed with the self-reported IPAQ-SF. Objective PA indicated that 93% of the participants were inactive and only 6% were highly active. The IPAQ-SF showed that 24% were inactive, with 57% active. A non-significant correlation (r = 0.11; p = 0.29) between the ActiHeart&reg; measure of activity energy expenditure (AEE) and total physical activity (IPAQ-SF) was observed. The Bland&ndash;Altman plot showed no agreement between the two measurement instruments and also a variation in the level of equivalence. When Cohen&rsquo;s kappa (&kappa;) was run to determine the agreement between the two measurement instruments for estimated physical activity, a poor agreement (&kappa; = 0.011, p &lt; 0.005) between the two was found. The poor level of agreement between the objective measure of physical activity (ActiHeart&reg;) and the IPAQ-SF questionnaire should be interpreted cautiously. Future physical activity research using a combination of subjective and objective assessment methods in a large-scale cohort in adolescents is recommended

Health-related fitness, body composition and physical activity status among adolescent learners: the PAHL study

Physical inactivity (PI) is found to be a major contributor to the high incidence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. As such, PI was significantly related to risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Studies especially in the 14-years in adolescents' learners are sparse. The purpose of this study was to determine the health-related physical fitness (HRPF), body composition and physical activity (PA) status among adolescent learners. A total of 283 adolescents learners (111 boys and 172 girls) with mean age of 14.90±0.72 years from the Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal Study (PAHLS) were participants in the study. Body composition according to the standard procedures of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK), HRPF using the Eurofit protocol test and PA levels using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were assessed and administered. Subsequently, total PA scores were calculated. The results show that on average, the boys (165.41±9.55cm) were significantly taller than the girls (157.88±6.94cm) (p<0.000). Girls had a slightly higher significant BMI (21.43±4.37 kg/m2) than the boys (20.01±3.71 kg/m2) (p=0.002). When the learners were categorised based on their BMI scores, the girls were more overweight (32.4%) compared to the boys (17.1%). Additionally, the girls (%body fat 26.01±8.51) were substantially (p<0.000) fatter than the boys (13.19±8.56). Furthermore, the results also indicated that the boys had consistently better performances in all the HRPF tests than the girls (p<0.000). More girls (19%) than boys (16%) watched TV for more than 3 hours daily. A total of 85 (30%), 78 (27.5%) and 88 (31.1%) of the adolescent students had low, moderate and high PA involvement. It was concluded that girls were more overweight and less active than boys. In view of the health implications of the findings, there is a need to create enabling environment and opportunities that will promote physically active lifestyle and develop life-long positive attitudes towards PA among the learners. Community-based strategies designed to facilitate effective and sustainable PA intervention programmes in schools are recommended

Association Between Sport Participation, Body Composition, Physical Fitness, and Social Correlates Among Adolescents: The PAHL Study

Background: Evidence suggests that social support impacts on participation in sport or physical activity (PA), and is associated with health benefits, although the link is complex and not well understood. The study aim was to examine whether participation in organized sports is related to body composition, physical fitness, and social correlates for PA. Methods: Cross-sectional data on 238 adolescents (90 boys and 148 girls), mean age 14.9 &#177; 0.8 years, who were participants in the Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal Study, were collected. The participants were divided into two groups: sport participation (SP) and non-sport participation (NSP). Height, weight, and triceps and subscapular skinfolds were assessed according to standard procedures. Weight (kg) and height (m2) were used to calculate body mass index (BMI), and skinfolds were used to calculate body fat percentage. The European Test of Physical Fitness (EUROFIT) battery of tests was used to assess physical fitness. The standardized International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form and Social Support for PA questionnaires were used to obtain information on PA and social correlates for PA, respectively. Participants were asked to choose between participation and non-participation in sport. Results: The SP group had lower BMI component values (p = 0.011, d = 0.52 for percentage body fat (%BF); p = 0.011, d = 0.53 for sum of skinfolds (&#8721;SKF) obtained higher physical fitness scores in selected items (p = 0.003, d = 0.64 for sit ups (SUP); p &lt; 0.000, d = 0.96 for maximal oxygen consumption VO2max) and received higher social support (p &lt; 0.001, d = 0.86 for social support (SS)), than the NSP group. The social support received by those participating in sport correlated positively with most fitness components (p = 0.013, r2 = 18% for bent arm hang (BAH); p = 0.000, r2 = 12% for sit ups (SUP); p = 0.000, r2 = 17% for VO2max). Physical fitness components were negatively associated with most body composition components for both groups. Conclusions: The results provide a better understanding of sport participation in organized sports-related, body composition-related and physical fitness-related associations with changes in social support received by adolescents and may contribute to the development of more accurate promotive strategies to increase children&#8217;s and adolescents&#8217; engagement in sport and PA

Relationship between body composition and selected motor components in 17-year-old adolescents residing in the city of Poznań in Poland

Study aim: The objective of this study was to determine differences in body composition status and levels of selected motor components and assess the relationship between selected motor components and body composition in adolescent girls and boys

Longitudinal relationships between changes in body composition and changes in selected metabolic risk factors (abdominal obesity and blood pressure) among South African adolescents

Background Incidence of childhood high blood pressure (BP) is increasing worldwide. This study examined the longitudinal relationship between changes in body composition (i.e. body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and percentage body fat) and selected metabolic risk factors (abdominal obesity and BP) among adolescents from the Tlokwe municipality in the North West Province of South Africa. Method One hundred and eight-six adolescents (81 boys and 105 girls) aged 14 to 16 years participated in the study. Body composition was measured following the International Society of the Advancement of Kinanthropometry standard procedures. BMI, abdominal obesity using WC measurement, and resting BP were determined. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures was calculated to determine changes in anthropometric measures and body composition as well as changes in BP. Additionally, Univariate analysis of variance with repeated measures and participants as a random sample was applied. Diastolic BP (DBP) and systolic BP (SBP) were used as dependent variables and sex, age, BMI, WC, and waist-to-height ratio as independent variables. Results Significant changes were found for stature, BMI, body mass, WC, SBP, and DBP. BMI for the total group was significant and positively related to abdominal obesity in 2012 (r = 0.55; p < 0.01) and in 2013 (r = 0.77; p < 0.01) and to SBP (r = 0.26; p < 0.05) in 2012 and (r = 0.17; p = 0.43) in 2013. BMI among the boys was significantly and positively related to abdominal obesity in 2012 (r = 0.83; p < 0.01) and 2013 (r = 0.91; p < 0.01). For the girls, BMI was significantly and positively related to abdominal obesity (r = 0.49; p < 0.01) and to SBP (r = 0.32; p = 0.05) in 2012. Boys with a higher WC in 2012 had significantly increased DBP (p < 0.05). Boys measured in 2012 with greater WC and BMI show a significant increase in SBP. Conclusions BMI was positively related to BP and abdominal obesity over time. Relatively high BMI and abdominal obesity significantly increased the likelihood of elevated BP over time, especially in boys. BMI was a predictor of abdominal obesity in boys, while in girls, BMI was a predictor of both abdominal obesity and SBP. In view of the future health implications of both abdominal obesity and elevated BP, urgent strategic interventions programs aimed at increasing physical activity and advocating for well-balanced dietary practices as well as importance of keeping normal blood pressure among South African adolescents are needed