Division of Pediatrics and National Center of Childhood Obesity, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge and Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden. gisela.nyberg@ki.se
The effect of overweight on metabolic risk factors and the role of physical activity (PA) in pre-pubertal children is unclear.
To study differences in metabolic risk factors between groups of normal weight and overweight children and how these risk factors are associated with objectively measured PA and cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF).
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 68 children aged 8?11 years. Children were categorized into normal weight (n = 39) and overweight/obese (n = 24/5). PA and CRF were measured objectively. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed and triglycerides (TG) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured. A metabolic risk score (MRS) was calculated from the standardized values of insulin, glucose, TG, inverted HDL-C and blood pressure.