Abstract
Though physical fitness and activity level (AL) have been associated with disease and mortality reductions, few studies have examined methods applicable to epidemiologic studies of children. In this study, parents classified their child's AL as (1) sedentary, (2) slightly active, or (3) active. Children (25 black females [BM], 32 white females [WM], 47 black males [BM], and 52 white males [WM] aged 6-18) completed a maximal exercise test. AL reports correlated significantly with maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) largely due to the association among WM. Analysis of household (HH) demographic variables indicated that in mother-headed HH, AL reports were uncorrelated with VO2 max (Table of means and correlations; *p≤.05; **p≤.01). Indirectly, race affected AL reports, i.e., 59% of black children were from mother-headed HH versus 13% of white children. Thus, a single question provided an approximation of children's fitness; the accuracy was affected by family structure, e.q., mothers who head HHs may have less time to observe their children.
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Murphy, J., Alpert, B. & Willey, E. CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN CHILDREN: SOCIOECONOMIC VARIABLED AFFECTING THE COLLECTION OF VALID DATA. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 259 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00554
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00554