Determining Patterns Of Sedentary Behavior And Body Mass...

Determining Patterns of Sedentary Behavior and Body Mass Index in Toddlers Using Accelerometers California Lutheran University December 10, 2014 Ashley Marten Advisor Dr. Kelly Abstract OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to observe a possible correlation between sedentary activity levels and body mass index (BMI) in toddlers. METHODS: I assessed physical activity (PA) over three to seven days using the ActiGraph GTM1 accelerometer in 80 toddlers (mean age 1.88 years; 58% male; 38% Hispanic; and 43% overweight) defined by weight percentile (≠¥85th percentile for age and gender) from Ventura County, California. RESULTS: There does not appear to be any significant difference in the activity levels of obese versus†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, there are no studies relating toddlers and physical activity levels (Goran et al. 1998). An increase in knowledge provides information for preventative strategies. Physical activity is important in chronic disease prevention including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. When children get these diseases, they escalate much quicker than they do in adults (Sothern et al. 1999). Physical activity is very important in determining the adiposity rebound phase of preschool children. Adiposity rebound is the period in which BMI increases after reaching the lowest level during development. This period is a critical period that determines the risk of obesity later in life. Earlier adiposity rebound correlates to higher rates of obesity in adulthood (Rolland et al. 2006). Nutritional intake does not correlate to the time that adiposity rebound occurs, but the amount of sedentary behavior may play a role. There is not enough data to determine what effects the time in which adiposity rebound occurs (Dorosity et al. 2000). The most accurate method for measuring activity levels in children is accelerometry. Accelerometers are also effective in determining activity levels in toddlers (Cauwenberghel et al. 2011). The aim of this study is to use accelerometers to quantify activity levels in a contemporary representative sample of children 12-36 months in age, and