Factors associated with fitness in children aged 11-13 years – A mixed methods approach
Sinead Brophy (DECIPHer)
14.45, Tuesday 9 July. Millennium Lounge, level 5
Background
Fitness is important for child growth, health and development. This study examines factors associated with fitness and examines the relationship between fitness and obesity.
Methods
1147 children from ten secondary schools participated in a health survey that included 20 metre shuttle run fitness tests, blood samples, and anthropometric measures. The health survey was linked with routine electronic data to examine educational achievement, deprivation and health service usage. Factors associated with fitness were examined using standard statistical analysis including logistic regression and conditional trees. Interactions were examined using data mining cluster analysis. Focus groups were conducted with 20 children and interviews were conducted with two teachers to examine barriers and facilitators to activity for children in a deprived community.
Results
Factors associated with poor fitness at age 11-13 were rapid early-life weight gain, low socioeconomic status and family weight (mother / father obese). Data mining showed that there were 3 main clusters for risk of future heart disease/diabetes: children at low risk (no high clinical markers, not obese, fit, achieving in education), children ‘visibly at risk’ (overweight, unfit, many hospital/GP visits and high clinical markers such as fasting insulin) and ‘invisibly at risk’ (unfit but not overweight, high clinical markers such as cholesterol and fasting insulin). Qualitative data suggests that barriers to physical activity among deprived children include cost, poor access to activity, lack of core physical literacy skills and limited family support to be active.
Conclusions
Fitness is mainly determined by family. Children from deprived areas and deprived families, who have overweight parents and who gain weight themselves early in life, are likely to be unfit at age 11-13. Fitness can reveal a hidden group who have high risk factors for heart disease and diabetes but may not be identified as they are normal weight.
Fitness is important for child growth, health and development. This study examines factors associated with fitness and examines the relationship between fitness and obesity.
Methods
1147 children from ten secondary schools participated in a health survey that included 20 metre shuttle run fitness tests, blood samples, and anthropometric measures. The health survey was linked with routine electronic data to examine educational achievement, deprivation and health service usage. Factors associated with fitness were examined using standard statistical analysis including logistic regression and conditional trees. Interactions were examined using data mining cluster analysis. Focus groups were conducted with 20 children and interviews were conducted with two teachers to examine barriers and facilitators to activity for children in a deprived community.
Results
Factors associated with poor fitness at age 11-13 were rapid early-life weight gain, low socioeconomic status and family weight (mother / father obese). Data mining showed that there were 3 main clusters for risk of future heart disease/diabetes: children at low risk (no high clinical markers, not obese, fit, achieving in education), children ‘visibly at risk’ (overweight, unfit, many hospital/GP visits and high clinical markers such as fasting insulin) and ‘invisibly at risk’ (unfit but not overweight, high clinical markers such as cholesterol and fasting insulin). Qualitative data suggests that barriers to physical activity among deprived children include cost, poor access to activity, lack of core physical literacy skills and limited family support to be active.
Conclusions
Fitness is mainly determined by family. Children from deprived areas and deprived families, who have overweight parents and who gain weight themselves early in life, are likely to be unfit at age 11-13. Fitness can reveal a hidden group who have high risk factors for heart disease and diabetes but may not be identified as they are normal weight.