Sport Participation and Metabolic Risk During Adolescent Years: A Structured Equation Model

Abstract

Sports practice during childhood can influence health indicators in later ages through direct and indirect pathways. Thus, this study aimed to test direct and indirect pathways to the association between sports practice in childhood and metabolic risk in adolescence, adopting physical activity, adiposity, and cardiorespiratory fitness at adolescence as potential mediators. This cross-sectional study with retrospective information was conducted with 991 adolescents (579 girls, 412 boys) aged 10 to 16 y. Sports activity was self-reported in childhood (retrospective data) and physical activity evaluated in adolescence through questionnaires. Somatic maturation (Mirwald method), cardiorespiratory fitness (20-m shuttle-run test), body fat (skinfolds), waist circumference, blood pressure (automatic instrument) and blood variables (fasting glucose, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides) were measured at adolescence. Waist circumference, blood pressure and blood variables composed the metabolic risk score. Structured equation modeling was adopted. In both sexes, the relationship between sports practice at childhood and metabolic risk was fully mediated by habitual physical activity, which is related to the obesity construct and cardiorespiratory fitness. Obesity was associated with metabolic risk in boys (β=0.062; p<0.001) and girls (β=0.047; p<0.001). The relationship between sports practice in childhood and metabolic risk in adolescence was mediated by physical activity, obesity, and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Sports participation is inversely associated with C‐reactive protein levels in adolescents: ABCD Growth Study

“…Moreover, sports participation is a subset of the leisure-time physical activity domain and other domains of physical activity are also prevalent among adolescents. 25 Our study did not account for other confounders such as sedentary behavior, dietary patterns, and ethnicity (it being necessary to consider possible limitations to generalize these findings to other ethnicities). Moreover, although our sample was of a similar age to adolescents assessed in a previous representative survey carried out in the city, the proportion of boys was higher in our study, 26 as well as which, the final sample was significantly lower than the overall sample contacted in the schools and sports clubs (n = 942).…”

“…Initially, data about sports participation was self‐reported and is thus prone to bias. Moreover, sports participation is a subset of the leisure‐time physical activity domain and other domains of physical activity are also prevalent among adolescents . Our study did not account for other confounders such as sedentary behavior, dietary patterns, and ethnicity (it being necessary to consider possible limitations to generalize these findings to other ethnicities).…”

Sports participation improves metabolic profile in adolescents: ABCD growth study

“…In parallel, adolescents engaged in low CRF sports showed significant improvement in TG levels. Mainly, daily physical activity, obesity, and CRF (Werneck et al, ) may mediate the impact of sports participation on metabolic outcomes during adolescence. It is relevant to highlight that, as well as the average time dedicated to sports participation (90.4 minutes/day on average 3.5 days per week), these adolescents engaged in sports of low CRF also spent an average of 55 minutes in non‐sportive MVPA.…”

Sports participation and adiposity do not mediate the relationship between birth weight and arterial thickness in adolescents: ABCD Growth Study

“…It is noteworthy that previous time of engagement in sports (and not its weekly amount) was inversely related to C-reactive protein, denoting an anti-inflammatory role attributed to the regular engagement in sports among adolescents 11 happening independently of birth weight status. In fact, regular engagement in sports seems beneficial to adiposity, metabolic, and cardiovascular aspects, 14,16,17 being a perfect candidate to mediate the relationship between birth weight and vascular aspects, but sports participation did not mediate the impact of birth weight on FIMT. The crosssectional design might one of the reasons behind the absence of significant mediation attributed to the sport.…”

“…14,15 In terms of physical activity, sports participation is the main manifestation of physical exercise during adolescence and its regular engagement is beneficial not just to control adiposity, but also to improve metabolic and cardiovascular aspects. 14,16,17 In this complex scenario investigating the impact of birth weight on vascular outcomes, it is still necessary to consider the potential impact of birth weight in physical activity level during adolescence, which is unclear so far. Among adolescents, birth weight does not predict the physical activity level, 18 but it is a correlate of sedentary behaviour in a relationship partially mediated by central adiposity.…”