Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 May;30(5):932-938.
doi: 10.1111/sms.13637. Epub 2020 Feb 26.

Estimated cardiorespiratory fitness in childhood and cardiometabolic health in adulthood: 1970 British Cohort Study

Mark Hamer  1 , Gary O'Donovan  2 , G David Batty  3   4 , Emmanuel Stamatakis  5   6
Affiliations

Estimated cardiorespiratory fitness in childhood and cardiometabolic health in adulthood: 1970 British Cohort Study

Mark Hamer et al. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2020 May.

Abstract

Background: Associations of cardiorespiratory fitness in childhood and adulthood with adult cardiometabolic risk factors are poorly understood, not least because of the paucity of studies.

Objectives: We investigated associations between nonexercise testing cardiorespiratory fitness (NETCRF) in childhood/adulthood and cardiometabolic risk factors in adulthood.

Methods: Based on an established algorithm comprising gender, age, body mass index, resting heart rate, and self-reported physical activity at age 10, we computed NETCRF. Risk factors were assessed at age 46 in 5009 participants when NETCRF was again calculated. Linear regression was used to summarize associations between NETCRF in childhood and risk factors in adulthood and, additionally, the relationship between NETCRF in adulthood and risk factors in adulthood after adjusting for childhood NETCRF.

Results: Inconsistent associations were observed between childhood NETCRF and adult risk factors. NETCRF in adulthood was associated with blood pressure [-5.8 (-6.7, -4.9)], glycated hemoglobin [-3.41 (-4.06, -2.76)], total cholesterol [-0.16 (-0.24, -0.08)], HDL cholesterol [0.19 (0.16, 0.22)], triglycerides [-0.68 (-0.85, -0.50)], and C-reactive protein [-0.29 (-0.35, -0.22)] in adult males. Similar associations were observed in adult females. Compared to those with low estimated fitness in both childhood and adulthood, participants with low fitness in childhood and high fitness in adulthood had a lower risk of two or more cardiometabolic risk factors (odds ratio: 0.25; 95% confidence interval: 0.19, 0.31).

Conclusion: Associations between estimated fitness and risk factors are stronger in adulthood than from childhood to adulthood. Adults with previously sedentary childhoods may still gain benefits from improving their fitness.

Keywords: cohort; fitness; metabolic; population.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

References

    1. Ross R, Blair SN, Arena R, et al. Importance of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in clinical practice: a case for fitness as a clinical vital sign: a scientific statement from the american heart association. Circulation. 2016;134(24):e653‐e699. - PubMed
    1. Mintjens S, Menting MD, Daams JG, van Poppel MNM, Roseboom TJ, Gemke R. Cardiorespiratory fitness in childhood and adolescence affects future cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review of longitudinal studies. Sports Med. 2018;48(11):2577‐2605. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tarp J, Dalene KE, Steene‐Johannessen J, Ekelund U. Comment on: "Cardiorespiratory fitness in childhood and adolescence affects future cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review of longitudinal studies". Sports Med. 2019;49(1):159‐161. - PubMed
    1. Castro‐Piñero J, Artero EG, Espana‐Romero V, et al. Criterion‐related validity of field‐based fitness tests in youth: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2010;44(13):934‐943. - PubMed
    1. Rao AV, Phadke AV, Patil PB, Joshi AR. Comparison of non‐exercise test and step test in estimation of aerobic capacity (VO2max) in young adults. Natl J Physiol Pharm Pharmacol. 2014;4(3):218‐220.