Physical activity and adiposity in preschool children: The Barwon Infant Study.

BACKGROUND: The association between physical activity and adiposity in preschool-aged children is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To assess the cross-sectional association between objectively measured physical activity and body fat in preschool-aged children. METHODS: In the preschool review in an Australian birth cohort study (n = 1074), mean duration and time accumulated in ≥1-min bouts of physical activity at light-intensity (LPA), moderate- to vigorous-intensity (MVPA) and light- to vigorous-intensity (LMVPA) were computed from accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X+) data. Percent body fat was assessed by bioelectrical impedance. Associations between physical activity and percent body fat were examined by multiple regression, adjusted for accelerometer wear time, MVPA (in analyses of LPA), maternal body mass index (BMI) and maternal education. RESULTS: A total of 450 participants (n = 450) had valid data. There was evidence of associations between physical activity and adiposity: each additional hour of LVPA was associated with 0.6% (CI95 -0.2%, 1.3%) higher body fat; ≥1-min bouts of LPA was associated with 1.0% (CI95 0.1%, 1.9%) higher body fat; each additional hour of MVPA was associated with -0.8% (CI95 -1.6%, -0.1%) less body fat; and ≥1-min bouts of MVPA was associated with -1.3% (CI95 -2.5%, -0.1%) body fat. CONCLUSIONS: Among a cohort of preschool-aged children, there was evidence that more intensive physical activity assessed by an accelerometer is associated with reduced body fat.

Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences as Predictors of Cigarette and E-Cigarette Use.

INTRODUCTION: Adverse childhood experiences contribute to both short- and long-term health issues and negative health behaviors that affect the individual as well as families and communities. Exposure to ≥4 of the 11 adverse childhood experiences (high adverse childhood experiences) compounds the problems in later life. This study assesses the associations among tobacco use, adverse childhood experiences, mental health, and community health. METHODS: This study was a secondary data analysis utilizing a large 2019 data set from a Community Health Needs Assessment in Florida (N=14,056). Investigators utilized inferential statistics to determine adverse childhood experiences as a predictor of tobacco use (vaping and cigarette use). In addition, they examined whether a shorter, 2-question adverse childhood experience scale was equivalent to the full scale when predicting tobacco use. RESULTS: The results indicated that parental divorce was the most common household stressor, followed by mental illness and alcoholism. High adverse childhood experiences were found to be most prominent in marginalized individuals. For those individuals experiencing ≥4 adverse childhood experiences, parental divorce continued to rank high, followed by mental illness. Household stressors included emotional and physical abuse as the most prevalent in the ≥4 adverse childhood experience group. High adverse childhood experiences were associated with current cigarette smoking (AOR=1.56) after controlling for individual mental health and social/community health variables. High adverse childhood experiences were also associated with E-cigarette use (AOR=1.81) but not dual cigarette/E-cigarette use. Social and community health was inversely associated with tobacco use. A 2-item adverse childhood experiences measure was sufficient in identifying tobacco users. CONCLUSIONS: Including adverse childhood experiences in community needs assessments provides important information for tobacco control efforts and prevention of chronic disease.

Preschool children's physical activity and cardiovascular disease risk: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Higher physical activity (PA) levels in adults are associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk, however it is unclear whether this association is evident in children younger than five years. Given that cardiovascular disease has early life origins, this study systematically reviews evidence of associations between PA and cardiovascular disease risk factors among children aged 3-5.5years. DESIGN: Systematic review. METHOD: A systematic search of multiple data bases was conducted to identify published papers reporting associations between any measure of PA and cardiovascular disease risk factors. INCLUSION CRITERIA: English language; peer-reviewed; original quantitative research; mean age or majority of sample to be between 3.0-5.5years. Studies where the sample was characterised by a health condition (e.g. obese, hypertensive) were not eligible for inclusion. RESULTS: Twelve papers met the inclusion criteria. At least one study for each cardiovascular disease risk factor except inflammation was included. PA was not associated with insulin resistance, and inconsistently associated with the remaining cardiovascular disease risk factors. Studies were mostly cross-sectional and methodologically heterogeneous. Longitudinal and experimental study designs and objective measurement of PA may help provide a clearer indication of the interplay between PA and cardiovascular disease risk in the preschool population.

Associations between activity patterns and cardio-metabolic risk factors in children and adolescents: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Total volumes of physical activity and sedentary behaviour have been associated with cardio-metabolic risk profiles; however, little research has examined whether patterns of activity (e.g., prolonged bouts, frequency of breaks in sitting) impact cardio-metabolic risk. The aim of this review was to synthesise the evidence concerning associations between activity patterns and cardio-metabolic risk factors in children and adolescents aged 5-19 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search of seven databases was completed in October 2017. Included studies were required to report associations between objectively-measured activity patterns and cardio-metabolic risk factors in children and/or adolescents, and be published between 1980 and 2017. At least two researchers independently screened each study, extracted data, and undertook risk of bias assessments. RESULTS: From the 15,947 articles identified, 29 were included in this review. Twenty-four studies were observational (cross-sectional and/or longitudinal); five were experimental. Ten studies examined physical activity patterns, whilst 19 studies examined sedentary patterns. Only one study examined both physical activity and sedentary time patterns. Considerable variation in definitions of activity patterns made it impossible to identify which activity patterns were most beneficial to children's and adolescents' cardio-metabolic health. However, potential insights and current research gaps were identified. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: A consensus on how to define activity patterns is needed in order to determine which activity patterns are associated with children's and adolescents' cardio-metabolic risk. This will inform future research on the impact of activity patterns on children's and adolescents' short- and longer-term health.