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Int J Sports Med 2009; 30(9): 677-683
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1224172
Clinical Sciences

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Physical Activity and Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Children

H.-R. Hong 1 , S. U. Kim 2 , H.-S. Kang 1
  • 1School of Sport Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea, Republic of Korea
  • 2Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of Korea
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Publication History

accepted after revision March 30, 2009

Publication Date:
30 June 2009 (online)

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Abstract

Little is known about whether lifestyle factors such as dietary intake, physical activity (PA), and cardio/respiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with metabolic risk factors in Korean children. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships among those lifestyle-related modifiable factors and the clustering of metabolic risk factors in young Korean children. In a cross-sectional study, we studied 246 Korean children (mean±SD; age: 12.6±0.5 years, BMI: 19.9±3.2 kg/m2) who were recruited from local elementary schools. In the total study population, physical activity and CRF were inversely associated with metabolic risk factors including body fatness, blood pressures, blood lipids and glucose. Daily caloric intake and proportion of carbohydrates were positively associated with BMI and percent body fat only. Multivariate regression analyses showed that physical activity was independently and inversely associated with the clustering of metabolic risk factors, even after adjustments for age, sex, sexual maturation, dietary intake, and CRF. Overall, the current findings of the study suggest that physical activity rather than CRF and/or dietary intake is an independent predictor for the clustering of metabolic risk factors in Korean children.

Key words

lifestyle factors - fitness - fatness - dietary intakes - risk factors

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Correspondence

Prof. H.-S. Kang

School of Sport Science

Sungkyunkwan University

300 Cheoncheon-dong

Suwon

440-746 Korea

Republic of Korea

Phone: +82/31/299 69 11

Fax: +82/31/299 69 29

Email: hkang@skku.edu

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