Association between Fitness, Different Indicators of Fatness, and Clustered Cardiovascular Diseases Risk Factors in Portuguese Children and Adolescents

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between cardiovascular diseases risk factors, cardiorespiratory fitness and three different indicators of fatness, and investigate if these relationships are independent by each other. Methods: 491 children and adolescents were evaluated. Standardized metabolic risk scores were computed. Multiple linear regression and Univariate Analysis of Variance – GLM were used. Results: Fit youngsters presented a better profile for each of the risk factors. Belonging to the unfit category increased the risk of having high MRS. After adjustments for fatness indicators, the relationship between fitness and MRS disappeared, and obesity indicators presented significant relationship with the MRS. Conclusion: Fitness and fatness are associated with clustered risks by different pathways.