Clustered cardiometabolic risk, cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity in 10-11 year old children. The CHANGE! Project baseline.’ Archives of Exercise in Health and Disease

Objective: The primary objective of this cross sectional pilot study was to report clustered risk scores combining traditional invasive with non invasive cardiometabolic risk markers in 10-11 year old children participating in the CHANGE! project at baseline. A secondary objective was to determine the relationship between clustered risk score and objectively measured physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Design: Habitual PA was measured using accelerometry and CRF (VO2peak) was assessed using an individually calibrated treadmill based protocol. Twenty-nine participants had valid data for all components of the clustered risk score, calculated using total cholesterol: high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (TC:HDL-C), glucose, systolic blood pressure (BP), LV Mass Index (g/m2.7), and trunk fat mass (g). Participants with a clustered risk score greater than 1SD above the mean were categorised as ‘higher’ risk (n=6); all others were categorised as ‘normal’ risk. Results: Clustered risk score, controlling for somatic maturity and gender, was negatively correlated with vigorous intensity physical activity (VPA) (r= -0.51, p=0.01), moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) (r= -0.44, p=0.03) and VO2peak (r= -0.57, p<0.01). ANCOVA, with somatic maturity and gender as covariates, revealed that those in the ‘normal’ risk group were more fit than those in the ‘higher’ risk group [f (1,24)=4.518, p=0.044]. There were no statistically significant differences between risk groups and PA; however, mean data suggest that those in the ‘normal’ risk group accrued 4 minutes more daily VPA than the ‘higher’ risk group which may be clinically important. Conclusion: This provides further evidence of the importance of promoting CRF and VPA in children, to reduce cardiometabolic risk especially for those that are ‘higher’ risk.