Absolute and relative intensity physical activity of children with healthy and low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness

Fairclough, SJ ORCID: 0000-0001-8358-1979, Schwendinger, F ORCID: 0000-0001-7795-1478, Taylor, SL ORCID: 0000-0002-4875-9951, Boddy, LM ORCID: 0000-0002-7477-4389, Weaver, RG ORCID: 0000-0003-0640-5204 and Rowlands, AV ORCID: 0000-0002-1463-697X (2025) Absolute and relative intensity physical activity of children with healthy and low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness. Journal of Sports Sciences. pp. 1-12. ISSN 0264-0414

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Abstract

Little is known about how the relative intensity of children’s physical activity (PA) volume and intensity distribution relates to health or fitness. To address this, we examined associations between accelerometer-derived absolute and relative PA volume and intensity distribution with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and differences in these PA outcomes for children stratified by CRF level. In 9–10-year-old children (N = 235) PA was assessed using wrist accelerometers and CRF estimated from the 20-m multistage shuttle run test (20mSRT). Children were classified as Healthy or Low CRF. Absolute PA outcomes were PA volume (average acceleration; AvAccabs) and intensity distribution (intensity gradient; IGabs). Equivalent relative PA outcomes were generated (AvAccrel and IGrel). Regression models found that absolute, but not relative PA outcomes were associated with CRF (AvAccabs Stdβ = 0.21, p = 0.02; IGabs Stdβ = 0.21, p = 0.03). Absolute PA outcomes were higher among Healthy CRF children (AvAccabs Stdβ = 0.40, p = 0.007; IGabs Stdβ = 0.46, p = 0.008), but there were no differences for relative PA outcomes. Children were similarly active relative to their physiological capacity, despite the Healthy CRF group being more active in absolute terms. Future studies should seek to better understand the influence of relative PA on CRF among child populations who differ on a range of physical, physiological and demographic characteristics.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences; 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy; Sport Sciences; 3202 Clinical sciences; 4207 Sports science and exercise; 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
Subjects:	R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV561 Sports
Divisions:	Sport and Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis Group
Date of acceptance:	5 October 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	17 October 2025
Date Deposited:	17 Oct 2025 12:44
Last Modified:	17 Oct 2025 13:00
DOI or ID number:	10.1080/02640414.2025.2574193
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27364

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