Modeling the associations of cardiorespiratory fitness with the cardiometabolic profile and sedentary behavior in school-aged nonprofessional athletes

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with cardiometabolic profile and sedentary behavior and develop predictive equations for assessing CRF in adolescent populations.METHODS: A total of 104 adolescent basketball athletes (36.54% girls) aged 12 to 17 years, (13.95±1.49 years), were included. Anthropometric characteristics (sex, age, height, weight, Body Mass Index [BMI], waist circumference [WC]), hemodynamic characteristics (heart rate [HR], blood pressure [systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure]) and blood lipid measurements (glucose [GLU], total cholesterol [TC], triglycerides [TG]) were recorded. CRF, via the 20-m shuttle run test, and sedentary behavior (SB), via the self-report HELENA questionnaire, were also assessed.RESULTS: A strong negative correlation was observed between the maximum CRF of young adolescents with BMI (P=0.002), resting HR (P=0.037), and WC (P=0.031). The variables GLU, TC, TG, and SB score had a moderate impact on the sample’s CRF. Regression analysis showed that the degree of CRF influence was 75.7%. BMI and peripheral fat deposition were inversely proportional and increased towards a decrease in the cardiorespiratory capacity of adolescent athletes.CONCLUSIONS: Anthropometric and cardiometabolic characteristics, along with SB, can be used to indirectly predict cardiorespiratory capacity in adolescents.