Discordance of international adiposity classifications in Australian boys and girls – The LOOK study

Cunningham

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

et al. 2013

We investigated longitudinal and cross-sectional relationships between eye-hand coordination (EHC) and cardiorespiratory fitness (multistage run), physical activity (pedometers), percent body fat (%BF, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry), body image, and organized sport participation (questionnaires) in 406 boys and 384 girls at 8 and 10 years of age. EHC was measured by a throw and wall-rebound catch test involving 40 attempts of increasing difficulty. Median EHC improved during two years from 18 to 32 (boys) and 9 to 24 (girls), and gender differences and improvements were both significant (P< 0.001). Cross-sectional analyses showed that boys and girls with better EHC were fitter (P < 0.001), and a longitudinal relationship showed that girls who improved their EHC over the two years became fitter (P < 0.001). There was also evidence that children with better EHC possessed a more positive body image (P = 0.05 for combined sex data), but there was no evidence of any relationships between EHC and %BF or PA (both P > 0.3). Finally, even at age 8 years, boys and girls participating in organized sport possessed better EHC than non-participants. These data provide evidence for the premise that early acquisition of this single motor skill promotes the development of a child's fitness, body image, and participation in sport.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits of early development of eye–hand coordination: Evidence from the LOOK longitudinal study

Cunningham

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

et al. 2013

“…Precision of measurement has been suggested as a factor that may reduce the accuracy of calculated relationships (21), but while DXA may lack validity it does not lack reliability (22); so measurement of %BF was unlikely to have been a confounding issue in our longitudinal analyses. In any case, significant relationships between IR and %BF were observed in cross‐sectional analyses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Contrasting longitudinal and cross-sectional relationships between insulin resistance and percentage of body fat, fitness, and physical activity in childrenâthe LOOK study

et al. 2009

“…A further 27 potentially eligible studies were identified from the database searches and enquiry e-mails were sent to the authors. Of these, eight generously agreed to provide raw data, [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] one of whom provided raw data for three additional, as yet unpublished, cohorts. 20 The authors of a further study, in addition to published data, agreed to provide more recent, as yet unpublished, summary data.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of these, eight generously agreed to provide raw data, [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] one of whom provided raw data for three additional, as yet unpublished, cohorts. 20 The authors of a further study, in addition to published data, agreed to provide more recent, as yet unpublished, summary data. 26 As well, summary data were available from two papers identified in the database search 27,28 (Figure 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in Australia between 1985 and 2008

et al. 2009

Background: Popular media, health experts and researchers talk about a paediatric 'obesity epidemic' with exponentially increasing rates of obesity and overweight. However, some recent reports suggest that prevalence may have plateaued. This study examined trends in the prevalence of Australian childhood overweight and obesity since 1985. Specifically, it aimed to determine whether there have been (a) overall increases in average body mass index (BMI), (b) differential patterns of change within age groups and (c) increases in BMI within each weight-status category. Method: Forty-one Australian studies of childhood weight status conducted between 1985 and 2008 were reviewed. The studies included data on 264 905 Australians aged 2-18 years, with raw data being available on 70 758 children (27%). Children were classified as overweight or obese based on BMI using the criteria of Cole et al. (BMJ, 2000). The prevalence estimates were adjusted for age and sex, and plotted against measurement year using Lowess plots and two-linear-segment models. Where raw data were available, BMI z-scores (UK 1990 standard) were plotted against measurement year for all children and children in various age groups. Lowess plots and two-linear-segment models were used to assess secular trends in BMI z-scores pre-and post-1996 within age, gender and weight-status categories. Results: There has been a plateau, or only slight increase, in the percentage of boys and girls classified as overweight or obese, with almost no change over the last 10 years. In boys and girls, prevalence rates have settled around 21-25% for overweight and obesity together, and 5-6% for obesity alone. Similar trends were found for BMI z-scores. These patterns were fairly consistent across the age span. Within each weight-status category, average BMI has not increased. Conclusions: Although levels of Australian paediatric overweight remain high, the prevalence of overweight and obesity seems to have flattened and has not followed the anticipated exponential trajectory.