PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY AND BODY FATNESS IN PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN

The aim of this work was to investigate the relationship between level s of physical activity and body fatness in a group of pre-school child ren. A cross-sectional study was carried out, physical activity being assessed as the ratio of total energy expenditure/basal metabolic rate (TEE/BMR) and TEE minus BMR. TEE was measured by the doubly labelled water technique, BMR was predicted from body weight. Body fat content was assessed from measurements of total body water via stable isotope dilution. The subjects were 93 children, aged between 1.5 and 4.5 year s, in South East England. Measurements of TEE were successful in 77 ch ildren, The correlation coefficient between the physical activity leve l (PAL) values and percentage body fat (sexes combined) was -0.52 (t = 5.3; P < 0.001). This figure indicates that a high level of body fat is associated with a low PAL value and that lower levels of body fat a re associated with high PAL values. The correlation coefficient betwee n TEE - BMR and percentage body fat was -0.51 (t = 5.1; P < 0.001). It was concluded that low levels of physical activity in pre-school chil dren are associated with raised levels of body fat.