Abstract

Background: It is necessary to systematize the use of instruments to measure physical capacity in children to have determinations of the physical impact of the sedentary lifestyle in order to implement measures that stop the damage and prevent them from reaching adulthood with decreased physical capacity.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to measure cardio-respiratory fitness and cardio-respiratory endurance, as well as its association with a sedentary lifestyle in children aged 8 to 12 years with obesity.

Methodology: Prospective cross-sectional study from July 2019 to February 2020 in the Department of Pediatrics of General Hospital of León, Guanajuato, México.        

Results: Nineteen boys and 13 girls with an age of 10.6 ± 1.5 years, body mass index 26.2 ± 3.4 and waist/height index 0.6 ± 0.05 cm were reviewed. Sixty-nine percent were classified as sedentary. The median physical efficiency index was 68 (interquartile range 63 - 74). The cardio-respiratory fitness index was excellent in 15 (47%), very good in 6 (19%), good in 8 (25%), sufficient in 1 (3%) and poor in 2 (6%). There was a negative correlation between age and the physical efficiency index in the sedentary group (R² 0.2, Pearson's correlation coefficient -0.45 [95% CI -0.03 to -0.72], p = 0.037).

Conclusion: One in 10 children with obesity has impaired cardio-respiratory fitness. The sedentary lifestyle is correlated with a deterioration in the physical efficiency index in older schoolchildren with obesity.

Keywords: Fitness; Children; Obesity; Sedentary Lifestyle

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