Associations of age, body size, and maturation with physical activity intensity in different laboratory tasks in children

Abstract

We investigated the associations of age, sex, body size, body composition, and maturity with measures of physical activity (PA) intensity in children. PA intensity was assessed using VO2 as % of VO2reserve or VO2 at ventilatory threshold (VT), muscle activity measured by textile electromyography, mean amplitude deviation (MAD) measured by accelerometry, and metabolic equivalent of task (MET) during laboratory activities.Age, stature, and muscle mass were inversely associated with VO2 as % of VO2reserve and % of VT, during walking or running on a treadmill for 4, 6, and 8 km/h (Spearman r = -0.645 to -0.358). Age was inversely associated with MAD during walking on treadmill for 4 km/h (r = -0.541) and positively associated with MAD during running on a treadmill for 8 km/h, playing hopscotch, and during self-paced running (r = 0.368 to 0.478). Fat mass was positively associated with VO2 as % of VO2reserve and VO2 as % of VO2 at VT and waist circumference was positively associated with VO2 as a % of VO2reserve and muscle activity during stair climbing (r = 0.416 to 0.519).Fixed accelerometry cut-offs used to define PA intensities should be adjusted for age, sex, body size, and body composition.