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Cross-sectional study of ethnic differences in physical fitness among children of South Asian, black African-Caribbean and white European origin: the Child Heart and Health Study in England (CHASE).

Nightingale, CM; Donin, AS; Kerry, SR; Owen, CG; Rudnicka, AR; Brage, S; Westgate, KL; Ekelund, U; Cook, DG; Whincup, PH (2016) Cross-sectional study of ethnic differences in physical fitness among children of South Asian, black African-Caribbean and white European origin: the Child Heart and Health Study in England (CHASE). BMJ Open, 6 (6). ISSN 2044-6055 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011131
SGUL Authors: Cook, Derek Gordon Nightingale, Claire Owen, Christopher Grant Whincup, Peter Hynes Kerry-Barnard, Sarah Ruth Donin, Angela

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about levels of physical fitness in children from different ethnic groups in the UK. We therefore studied physical fitness in UK children (aged 9-10 years) of South Asian, black African-Caribbean and white European origin. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Primary schools in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: 1625 children (aged 9-10 years) of South Asian, black African-Caribbean and white European origin in the UK studied between 2006 and 2007. OUTCOME MEASURES: A step test assessed submaximal physical fitness from which estimated VO2 max was derived. Ethnic differences in estimated VO2 max were estimated using multilevel linear regression allowing for clustering at school level and adjusting for age, sex and month as fixed effects. RESULTS: The study response rate was 63%. In adjusted analyses, boys had higher levels of estimated VO2 max than girls (mean difference 3.06 mL O2/min/kg, 95% CI 2.66 to 3.47, p<0.0001). Levels of estimated VO2 max were lower in South Asians than those in white Europeans (mean difference -0.79 mL O2/min/kg, 95% CI -1.41 to -0.18, p=0.01); levels of estimated VO2 max in black African-Caribbeans were higher than those in white Europeans (mean difference 0.60 mL O2/min/kg, 95% CI 0.02 to 1.17, p=0.04); these patterns were similar in boys and girls. The lower estimated VO2 max in South Asians, compared to white Europeans, was consistent among Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi children and was attenuated by 78% after adjustment for objectively measured physical activity (average daily steps). CONCLUSIONS: South Asian children have lower levels of physical fitness than white Europeans and black African-Caribbeans in the UK. This ethnic difference in physical fitness is at least partly explained by ethnic differences in physical activity.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: Children, Ethnicity, Physical fitness
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Population Health Research Institute (INPH)
Journal or Publication Title: BMJ Open
Article Number: e011131
ISSN: 2044-6055
Language: eng
Dates:
DateEvent
20 June 2016Published
13 May 2016Accepted
Publisher License: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Projects:
Project IDFunderFunder ID
PG/06/003British Heart Foundationhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000274
068362/Z/02/ZWellcome Trusthttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004440
G0501295National Prevention Research InitiativeUNSPECIFIED
PubMed ID: 27324713
Go to PubMed abstract
URI: https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/107944
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011131

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