ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana - Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2019 September;178(9):603-10

DOI: 10.23736/S0393-3660.18.03921-9

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Cardiorespiratory fitness in relation to adiposity in 9- to 17-year-old Nigerian youth

Danladi I. MUSA ¹ ✉, Tessy ANGBA ², Benson B. BAMIDELE ¹

¹ Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Nigeria; ² Faculty of Education, National Open University of Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: This study examined the association of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with adiposity in a population-based sample of Nigerian children and adolescents.
METHODS: Participants included 1014 children (526 girls and 488 boys aged 9-11y) and 2320 adolescents (1248 girls and 1072 boys aged 12-17). Participants were categorised into tertile groups based on estimated peak V̇O2.
RESULTS: Among children, girls were significantly fatter than boys (F(1,1007) = 47.4, P<0.0005), Unfit children displayed significantly higher percent fat than their fit peers (F(2,1007) =8.2, P<0.0005). In the adolescents, significant main effects were also noted for gender (F(1,2313) = 635.5, P<0.0005) and CRF (F(2,2313) = 42.8, P<0.0005). Again, girls were fatter than boys. Significant inverse relationship was noted between fitness and total adiposity among both children and adolescents, but the correlation was stronger in the adolescent group. Results of the logistic regression analysis indicated significant model only in adolescents (ᵪ2(3, N = 2320) = 42.3, P=0.0005). The odds of overweight (OW) among adolescent boys was 2.3 fold (95% CI = 1.2 - 4.6, P=0.014) higher in unfit youth compared to fit peers. Age was the only significant predictor of OW among adolescent girls (OR = 0.8, CI 0.7-0.9, P=0.007). Fitness was inversely related to abdominal adiposity in both age groups, the relationship being stronger in boys than girls.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the recommendation of early identification of youth with low CRF for the purposes of primary prevention of OW and attendant comorbidities.

KEY WORDS: Cardiovascular diseases; Exercise test; Adiposity; Adolescent