Cardiovascular Fitness and Caloric Intake in Filipino Obese Children: An Observational Study

There is an alarming increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity. This study examines the joint association of cardiovascular fitness and nutritional intake with obesity in Filipino pre-adolescents. Grade four to six students from an elementary school in Manila were included. Data were obtained from August 2009 to March 2010. Outcome measures were body mass index, cardiovascular fitness using 20 m multistage shuttle run and 24 h dietary food recall utilizing a face to face interview. For males, the odds of being overweight compared to having normal weight were significantly elevated in those who had low cardiovascular fitness and high caloric intake. Comparing those who were obese with those with normal body mass index, the odds of being obese were very high for those who had low cardiovascular fitness and low caloric intake. However, the odds of being obese increased even more when males had low cardiovascular fitness and high total caloric intake. For females, the odds of being overweight and obese was significantly higher for those with high caloric intake and low physical fitness compared to those with high physical fitness, low total caloric intake. The findings emphasize the importance of increasing cardiovascular fitness through involvement in moderate to vigorous physical activity and improving dietary patterns in order to reduce the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity.