Associations of cardiorespiratory fitness and obesity parameters with blood pressure: fitness and fatness in youth Latin-American ethnic minority.

In spite of wide international evidence about cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and adiposity in association with cardiovascular disease, there is poor evidence about this relationship in schoolchildren of ethnic minorities. To examine the relationship between CRF and body composition on blood pressure (BP) in a sample of ethnic minority schoolchildren from three Latin-American countries. A descriptive cross sectional study of total = 3866, mean age 12.5 (2.7) y [girls = 1997, mean age 12.8 (2.8) y; boys = 1869, mean age 12.2 (2.7) y] schoolchildren from three Latin-American countries (Colombia, Brazil, Chile). Main outcomes were CRF, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, body fat percentage (%BF), and BP (systolic SB, diastolic BP, and mean arterial pressure (MAP). In both sex, and after adjusting for covariates (age and ethnicity group), negative CRF by Opeak levels were associated with a higher body fatness parameters (BMI, WC, WHtR and %BF <0.001), and blood pressure measures (systolic BP, diastolic BP, and MAP; <0.001). A lower CRF (by Opeak) was associated with a higher BP in girls (systolic SB -0.15; -5.10 (0.30), diastolic BP -0.14; -4.43 (0.23), and MAP -0.15; -4.93 (0.26) at <0.001), and boys (systolic SB -0.02; -0.85 (0.32), DB -0.07; -2.23 (0.23), and MAP-0.06; -1.89 (0.25 at <0.001). There was a significant association between a 'high-CRF + low-%BF' with a lower systolic SB  = - 9.6 [0.7], diastolic BP = - 11.0 [0.6]; and MAP level  = - 10.6 [0.6] all <0.001). There was a significant association between a 'high-CRF + low-BMI' with a lower systolic  = - 10.3 [1.1], diastolic  = - 11.2 [1.1], and MAP  = - 10.9 [1.0] all <0.001. A lower CRF is associated with a higher body fatness parameters, and higher BP levels in Latin-American ethnic schoolchildren. %BF: Percentage of Body fat; BIA: Bioelectric impedance analysis; BMI: Body mass index; BP: Blood pressure; CRF: Cardiorespiratory fitness; CVD: Cardiovascular disease; LDL-cholesterol: SD: Standard deviation; WC: Waist circumference; WHtR: Waist-height to ratio; Omax: Maximal oxygen consumption; Opeak: Peak of oxygen consumption.