Physical activity and overweight in children and adolescents using intensified insulin treatment

Aim: To describe physical activity and inactivity and parameters associated with overweight in a population‐based study of children and adolescents on intensive insulin treatment. Methods: Physical activity and inactivity were evaluated in 723 type 1 diabetic subjects, 240 children aged 6–10 yr and 483 adolescents aged 11–19 yr, using a questionnaire that can estimate total amount of time spent on inactivity and light, moderate and vigorous activity. Results: Overall, 54% of the participants do not fulfil the international recommendations of 60 min of moderate‐to‐vigorous activity per day. Girls are less active than boys in childhood (70 vs. 88 min/d, p = 0.01) and in adolescence (47 vs. 57 min/d, p = 0.02). Furthermore, this study shows that those who are more active are also those who seldom skip meals (p