Excessive sedentary time and low cardiorespiratory fitness in European adolescents: the HELENA study

Background The aims of this study were to examine what amount of sedentary time is associated with low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in adolescents and whether this association is independent of physical activity. Methods The study comprised 1808 adolescents aged 12.5–17.5 years from 10 European cities. Sedentary time and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were measured by accelerometer. CRF was assessed by the 20 m shuttle-run test. Adolescents were divided into two groups (high/low) according to FITNESSGRAM guidelines. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine thresholds that best discriminate between high and low CRF in adolescents. Results Adolescent girls had more sedentary time than boys (p 0.05) in those who met the recommendation (≥60 min/day in MVPA). Conclusion Excessive sedentary time is associated with low CRF in adolescent girls but not in boys. However, this adverse effect might be attenuated if adolescent girls meet the current physical activity guidelines.