Relation between Dietary Habits, Physical Activity, and Anthropometric and Vascular Parameters in Children Attending the Primary School in the Verona South District

Abstract

The aim of this school-based study was to identify the possible association between diet and physical activity, as well as the anthropometric, vascular, and gluco-lipid parameters. We administered two validated questionnaires for diet and physical activity (Food Frequency questionnaire (FFQ), Children-Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ-C)) to children at four primary schools in Verona South (Verona, Italy). Specific food intake, dietary pattern, and physical activity level expressed in Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) and PAQ-C score were inserted in multivariate linear regression models to assess the association with anthropometric, hemodynamic, and gluco-lipid measures. Out of 309 children included in the study, 300 (age: 8.6 ± 0.7 years, male: 50%; Obese (OB): 13.6%; High blood pressure (HBP): 21.6%) compiled to the FFQ. From this, two dietary patterns were identified: "healthy" and "unhealthy". Direct associations were found between (i) "fast food" intake, Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV), and (ii) animal-derived fat and capillary cholesterol, while inverse associations were found between vegetable, fruit, and nut intake and capillary glucose. The high prevalence of OB and HBP and the significant correlations between some categories of food and metabolic and vascular parameters suggest the importance of life-style modification politics at an early age to prevent the onset of overt cardiovascular risk factors in childhood.

Keywords: blood pressure; cardiovascular risk factors; children; diet; hypertension; obesity; physical activity; pulse wave velocity.

Figure 1

Prevalence of overweight/obese (a) and normal high/high blood pressure (BP) (b). Legend: “Normal weight”: percentile body mass index (BMI)—age < 85^th; “Overweight”: 85^th < P percentile BMI—age < 95^th; “Obese”: percentile BMI—age > 95^th; “Normal blood pressure (BP)”: percentile SBP and DBP < 90^th; “Normal-high blood pressure (BP)”: 90^th < percentile SBP or DBP < 95^th; “High blood pressure (BP)”: percentile SBP or DBP > 95^th.

Figure 2

Difference of central blood pressure (cSBP, mmHg) among levels of moderate-vigorous physical activity. Legend: “Low”: <600 MET-minutes/week; “Medium”: 600–3000 MET-minutes/week; “High”: >3000 MET-minutes/week. SBP: systolic blood pressure.

Figure 3

(a–e) Correlations between food intake and hemodynamic and gluco-lipid parameters. Correlation between: fast food intake and PWV (a); vegetables intake and glucose (b); fruit intake and glucose (c); nuts intake and glucose (d); animal-derived fat and cholesterol (e). PWV: Pulse Wave Velocity.

Figure 4

(a–b) Associations between “healthy pattern” and capillary glucose level (a) and between “unhealthy pattern” brachial diastolic blood pressure (b) DBP: diastolic blood pressure.