Pediatric Nutrition in Practice

1 Specific Aspects of Childhood Nutrition

Key Words

Adiposity · Bone mineral accrual · Metabolic

syndrome · Fitness · Strength · Weight status

Key Messages

• Physical activity (PA) is a behavior that changes
  with growth and maturation


• Regular PA favorably influences bone mineral
  accrual, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscular
  strength and endurance


• PA has relatively small effects on lipids and adipos-
  ity and blood pressures in normal-weight and nor-
  motensive youth, respectively


• PA interventions favorably influence adiposity in
  the obese, blood pressures in the hypertensive,
  and components of the cardiometabolic profile in
  obese youth


• Many indicators of health and fitness, especially
  metabolic risk, are affected by obesity. A key issue
  is the prevention of unhealthy weight gain early in
  childhood and the potential role of PA
  © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel

Introduction

Physical activity (PA) is a behavior. It is the most
variable component of energy expenditure. On
average, PA declines from late childhood through
adolescence, and boys are more active than girls.

From a public health perspective, PA is a be-

havior with important implications for health

promotion and disease prevention during child-

hood, adolescence and adulthood. Emphasis is

largely placed on the level of PA associated with

health benefits. The role of PA as a medium for

learning, enjoyment and social interactions is of-

ten overlooked.

Correlates of PA among children and adoles-

cents include biological and cultural factors and

their interactions. Physical fitness, specifically

cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), is both a corre-

late and outcome of PA. Movement skills are also

an important correlate of PA. Types and settings

(contexts) of PA are often overlooked, and include

play, physical education, exercise, sport, transport

and chores, among others. Contexts per se and

mea n i ngs at tached to t hem va r y w it h age a nd a lso

between and among different cultural groups [1].

Sport is a major context of PA for youth, but regu-

lar PA is not equivalent to training for sport.

O u t c o m e s

Two questions, among others, are central to dis-

cussions of PA and health of school-age youth:

(1) What are the health and fitness benefits of

regular PA?

Koletzko B, et al. (eds): Pediatric Nutrition in Practice. World Rev Nutr Diet. Basel, Karger, 2015, vol 113, pp 68–71
DOI: 10.1159/000360318

1.4 Physical Activity, Health and Nutrition

Robert M. Malina