Descriptive characteristics of the participants
| Children | Adolescents | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | |
| (n=269) | (n=288) | (n=238) | (n=280) | |
| Age (years) | 9.5 (0.3) | 9.5 (0.4) | 15.6 (0.4) | 15.5 (0.4) |
| Sexual maturation status (%)*,† | ||||
| Stage I | 99 | 57 | 1 | 0 |
| Stage II | 1 | 40 | 1 | 0 |
| Stage III | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Stage IV | 0 | 0 | 17 | 45 |
| Stage V | 0 | 0 | 79 | 50 |
| Weight (kg)*,† | 33.4 (6.2) | 33.7 (6.7) | 64.2 (10.7) | 57.8 (8.8) |
| Height (cm)*,† | 139 (6) | 139 (7) | 176 (7) | 165 (6) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2)† | 17.2 (2.4) | 17.3 (2.4) | 20.7 (2.8) | 21.2 (2.7) |
| Prevalence of overweight (including obesity) (%) | 13 | 18 | 13 | 13 |
| Waist circumference (cm)*,† | 60.7 (6.0) | 60.2 (6.1) | 73.8 (7.1) | 70.0 (6.7) |
| High-risk waist circumference (%)‡ | 27.2 | 28.6 | 17.4 | 30.1 |
| Body fat (%)*,† | 16.1 (6.3) | 18.6 (5.6) | 14.0 (6.5) | 23.4 (5.5) |
| Fat-free mass (kg)*,† | 27.7 (3.4) | 27.0 (3.8) | 54.9 (7.3) | 43.9 (5.4) |
| Total PA level (counts/min)*,†,§ | 805 (259) | 665 (189) | 557 (199) | 490 (154) |
| Moderate PA (min/day)*,† | 185 (50) | 159 (41) | 65 (31) | 58 (22) |
| Vigorous PA (min/day)*,†,§ | 35 (23) | 24 (15) | 16 (12) | 11 (10) |
| Moderate–vigorous PA (min/day)*,† | 220 (65) | 182 (51) | 81 (38) | 69 (28) |
| Vo2max (l/min)*,† | 1.38 (0.2) | 1.23 (0.2) | 3.27 (0.5) | 2.29 (0.4) |
| Vo2max (ml/min/kg)*,† | 42.3 (6.9) | 36.7 (5.3) | 51.0 (6.7) | 40.2 (5.9) |
| Vo2max (ml/min/kgFFM)*,† | 50.1 (6.8) | 45.2 (5.4) | 59.3 (6.0) | 52.0 (7.1) |
FFM, fat-free mass; PA, physical activity; Vo2max, maximal oxygen consumption.
Values are mean (SD), unless otherwise stated.
↵* Sex differences were analysed by two-way ANOVA.
↵† Age group differences were analysed by two-way ANOVA.
↵‡ Sex differences were found only in adolescents.
↵§ Squared-root transformed data were used in the analysis, but raw data are presented.