Relationship between Type and Intensity of Sports Activities and the Prevalence of Overweight in Serbian School Children

Sead Malićević, Sanja Mazić, Stefania Cataldi, Francesco Fischetti and Gianpiero Greco
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Sead Malićević: Department of Sports Medicine, College of Sports and Health, 11010 Belgrade, Serbia
Sanja Mazić: Institute of Medical Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Stefania Cataldi: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Study of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Francesco Fischetti: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Study of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Gianpiero Greco: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Study of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-8

Abstract: This study aimed to explore the relationship between different forms and intensities of sports activities and the prevalence of overweight in primary school children. Using International Obesity Task Force BMI criteria, we have identified body weight status in a group of 2893 children aged 9–15 years participating in 27 different sports and within a group of 4987 non-active children of the same age. We have compared the prevalence of overweight and obesity between these groups, as well as between genders and different forms and intensities of sports, within the group of active children. We have found lower prevalence of overweight (Χ 2 = 41.689, DF = 1, p < 0.001), as well as prevalence of obesity (Χ 2 = 175.184, DF = 1, p < 0.001) in physically active children compared with their non-active counterparts, as expected. Overweight (including obesity) had the highest prevalence in mixed sports of the Classification of Sports of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology, in boys ( p = 0.003), as well as in girls ( p = 0.043). A lower prevalence of overweight was noted in boys ( p = 0.001), as well as in girls ( p = 0.025) with more than 7 years of training. Regarding the number of hours of training per week, a lower prevalence of overweight was noted only in girls with 4 and more hours of training per week ( p = 0.025). Concerning intensity, we have found a significant drop in the prevalence of overweight in children with sports activities whose intensity is more than 60 MET-hours per week. We conclude that a significant relationship between sports and the prevalence of overweight is found in children with more than 60 MET-hours of sports activities per week, as well as among children involved in mixed sports, and after more than 7 years spent in regular sports training.

Keywords: children overweight and obesity; youth sports; sustainable prevention of overweight and obesity; Youth Compendium of Physical Activities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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