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Body mass index and motor coordination: Non-linear relationships in children 6–10 years

Publication . Lopes, Vitor P.; Malina, Robert M.; Maia, José A.R.; Rodrigues, Luis Paulo

Background: Given the concern for health-related consequences of an elevated body mass index (BMI; obesity), the potential consequences of a low BMI in children are often overlooked. The purpose was to evaluate the relationship between the BMI across its entire spectrum and motor coordination (MC) in children 6–10 years. Methods: Height, weight, and MC (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder, KTK test battery) were measured in 1,912 boys and 1,826 girls of 6–10 years of age. BMI (kg/m2) was calculated. KTK scores for each of the four tests were also converted to a motor quotient (MQ). One-way ANOVA was used to test differences in the BMI, individual test items, and MQ among boys and girls within age groups. Sex-specific quadratic regressions of individual KTK items and the MQ on the BMI were calculated. Girls and boys were also classified into four weight status groups using International Obesity Task Force criteria: thin, normal, overweight, and obese. Differences in specific test items and MQ between weight status groups were evaluated by age group in each sex. Results: Thirty-one percent of the sample was overweight or obese, whereas 5% was thin. On average, normal weight children had the highest MQ in both sexes across the age range with few exceptions. Overweight/obese children had a lower MQ than normal weight and thin children. The quadratic regression lines generally presented an inverted parabolic relationship between the BMI and MC and suggested a decrease in MC with an increase in the BMI. Conclusion: In general, BMI shows a curvilinear, inverted parabolic relationship with MC in children 6–10 years.

2018Journal article

Open access

Validity and reliability of a pictorial instrument for assessing perceived motor competence in Portuguese children

Publication . Lopes, Vitor P.; Barnett, Lisa M.; Saraiva, Linda Maria Balinha; Gonçalves, Celina; Bowe, Steven J.; Abbott, Gavin; Rodrigues, Luis Paulo

It is important to assess young children's perceived Fundamental Movement Skill (FMS) competence in order to examine the role of perceived FMS competence in motivation toward physical activity. Children's perceptions of motor competence may vary according to the culture/country of origin; therefore, it is also important to measure perceptions in different cultural contexts. The purpose was to assess the face validity, internal consistency, test–retest reliability and construct validity of the 12 FMS items in the Pictorial Scale for Perceived Movement Skill Competence for Young Children (PMSC) in a Portuguese sample. Methods Two hundred one Portuguese children (girls, n = 112), 5 to 10 years of age (7.6 ± 1.4), participated. All children completed the PMSC once. Ordinal alpha assessed internal consistency. A random subsamples (n = 47) were reassessed one week later to determine test–retest reliability with Bland–Altman method. Children were asked questions after the second administration to determine face validity. Construct validity was assessed on the whole sample with a Bayesian Structural Equation Modelling (BSEM) approach. The hypothesized theoretical model used the 12 items and two hypothesized factors: object control and locomotor skills. Results The majority of children correctly identified the skills and could understand most of the pictures. Test–retest reliability analysis was good, with an agreement ration between 0.99 and 1.02. Ordinal alpha values ranged from acceptable (object control 0.73, locomotor 0.68) to good (all FMS 0.81). The hypothesized BSEM model had an adequate fit. Conclusions The PMSC can be used to investigate perceptions of children's FMS competence. This instrument can also be satisfactorily used among Portuguese children.

2016Journal article

Restricted access

Objectively measured sedentary time and academic achievement in schoolchildren

Publication . Lopes, Luís; Santos, Rute; Mota, Jorge; Pereira, Beatriz; Lopes, Vitor P.

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between objectively measured total sedentary time and academic achievement (AA) in Portuguese children. The sample comprised of 213 children (51.6% girls) aged 9.46 ± 0.43 years, from the north of Portugal. Sedentary time was measured with accelerometry, and AA was assessed using the Portuguese Language and Mathematics National Exams results. Multilevel linear regression models were fitted to assess regression coefficients predicting AA. The results showed that objectively measured total sedentary time was not associated with AA, after adjusting for potential confounders

2017Journal article

Open access

Body mass index and physical fitness in Brazilian adolescents

Publication . Lopes, Vitor P.; Malina, Robert M.; Gomez-Campos, Rossana; Cossio-Bolaños, Marco; Arruda, Miguel de; Hobold, Edilson

Evaluate the relationship between body mass index and physical fitness in a cross-sectional sample of Brazilian youth.Methods: Participants were 3849 adolescents (2027 girls) aged 10-17 years. Weight and heightwere measured; body mass index was calculated. Physical fitness was evaluated with a multi-stage 20 m shuttle run (cardiovascular endurance), standing long jump (power), and push-ups(upper body strength). Participants were grouped by sex into four age groups: 10-11, 12-13,14 years. Sex-specific ANOVA was used to evaluate differences in each physicalQ2fitness item among weight status categories by age group. Relationships between body massindex and each physical fitness item were evaluated with quadratic regression models by agegroup within each sex.Results: The PF of thin and normal youth was, with few exceptions, significantly better thanthe physical fitness of overweight and obese youth in each age group by sex. On the other hand,physical fitness performances did not consistently differ, on average, between thin and normalweight and between overweight and obese youths. Results of the quadratic regressions indicateda curvilinear (parabolic) relationship between body mass index and each physical fitness itemin most age groups. Better performances were attained by adolescents in the mid-range of thebody mass index distribution, while performances of youth at the low and high ends of the bodymass index distribution were lower.

2018Journal article

Open access

Associations between fruit and vegetable variety and low-grade inflammation in Portuguese adolescents from LabMed physical activity study

Publication . Almeida-de-Souza, Juliana; Santos, Rute; Lopes, Luis; Abreu, Sandra; Moreira, Carla; Padrão, Patrícia; Mota, Jorge; Moreira, Pedro

Purpose: The dietary guidelines for the consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables have been recognized as an important factor for achieving healthy eating patterns to reduce the risk of chronic disease throughout the lifespan. Our aim is to assess the association between fruit and vegetable variety and low-grade inflammation in adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis was conducted with 412 adolescents (ages 14.4 ± 1.7 years; 52% girls). The consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables was assessed with a food-frequency questionnaire, considering the number of individual/category of fruit or vegetable intake at least once month, and categorized into tertiles. Blood samples were collected to determine C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), complement component 3 (C3), and 4 (C4). We created categories of lower or higher (inflammatory state) for each biomarker, considering sex- and age-adjusted median values. Then, we computed an overall inflammatory score, by adding all points awarded wherein one point was assigned if biomarker was higher or zero if lower, and created categories of 0–1 or 2–4 biomarkers above the median. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% interval confidence (95% CI) were calculated from binary logistic regression to estimate the magnitude of association between fruit and vegetable variety and inflammatory biomarkers. Results: Adolescents with a greater variety of vegetable consumption (≥13 categories/month) had lower odds of having a higher CRP (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.15–0.64, ptrend = 0.004) when compared to those with lower variety consumption (≤6 categories/month), independent of vegetable quantity intake. However, a greater variety of fruit consumption (≥12 categories/month) had higher odds of having a higher IL-6 (OR 4.41, 95% CI 1.67–11.71, ptrend = 0.012), C3 (OR 3.30, 95% CI 1.23–8.86, ptrend = 0.047), and inflammatory score (OR 4.90, 95% CI 1.62–14.86, ptrend = 0.017), when compared to those with lower variety consumption (≤9 categories/month), independent of fruit quantity intake, only for girls. Conclusions: The consumption of a variety of vegetables is inversely associated with lower CRP. This finding supports the current dietary guidelines regarding the consumption of a variety of vegetables. The role of fruit variety in low-grade inflammation should be further studied.

2018Journal article

Open access