|
|
APS Presentation 12:45 p.m. EDT, Monday, April 30
Pressroom presentation 11 a.m. EDT, Monday, April 30
Embargoed to the date and time above
Media Contact
Sarah Goodwin
(202) 249-4165 April
28-May 2
Study Identifies ‘Pre-Obese’ Children, Based On
Activity Levels
Even when still growing and developing, eight, nine and
10 year old children do not have excess body fat, they may lack sufficient
daily physical exercise. This lack of physical activity is a significant
predictor that they will develop increasing levels of body fat over time,
according to University of Manitoba researcher Dr. Rebecca Mollard, speaking
on April 30 at Experimental Biology 2007 in Washington, DC.
In a three year longitudinal study of 41 children, the
researchers found that 74 percent of children at year one and 43 percent of
children at year two who did not have excess body fat and were not
overweight were still below the recommended level of physical activity.
Because these “pre-obese” children are not yet overweight, and because they
may even increase exercise levels modestly as part of their natural
developmental sequence (although still remaining well below
recommendations), these pre-obese children may not be perceived at risk for
obesity, says Dr. Mollard. This means that the opportunity for simple
primary prevention may be missed.
Dr. Mollard is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory
of Dr. Dean Kriellaars. Her Experimental Biology presentation, made jointly
with doctoral student Kristy Wittmeier and Dr. Kriellaars, is part of the
scientific program of The American Physiological Society.
Reduction in physical activity is widely believed to
explain part, if not most, of the alarming increase in the number of
overweight and obese children in numerous countries worldwide over the past
two decades. The study reported at Experimental Biology is part of a larger
cross-sectional study of 251 children, looking at the relationship between
body composition, cardiovascular fitness, physical activity and daily
physical education in schools. In this component of the study, researchers
followed a subset of these children for three years, beginning when they
were eight years old, to determine how body composition and physical
activity change over time.Body fat and body mass index (BMI) were measured
after one and two year periods, along with a direct measure of physical
activity, avoiding the problems with self-report of physical activity.
Although Canadian and U.S. health agencies recommend
that children engage in a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate or above
physical exercise per day, the study found that only 16.4 percent met the 60
minute guidelines. Only an extra 30 minutes of physical activity equivalent
to a brisk walk - equaling approximately 110 calories per day - would be
enough to substantively affect the caloric balance and body composition over
the three-year period.
Dr. Mollard says these findings are consistent with the
larger study, which indicates that the likelihood of having higher amounts
of body fat are significantly reduced with higher levels of moderate (45
minutes per day) or vigorous (15 minutes per day) activity. Children who
achieved higher amounts of physical activity accumulated lower amounts of
body fat over time. To achieve protection from developing excess body fat,
the children would need to add approximately 30 minutes per day of exercise
the equivalent of brisk walking.
Funding for this study was provided by the Government
of Manitoba. Dr. Mollard and Ms. Wittmeier are supported by fellowships from
the Manitoba Institute of Child Health.
###
|
|
