Results Physical activity was associated with numerous health benefits .
The dose-response relations observed in observational studies indicate that the more physical activity , the greater the health benefit .
Results from experimental studies indicate that even modest amounts of physical activity can have health benefits in high-risk youngsters ( e.g. , obese ) .
Vigorous intensity activities may provide even greater benefit .
Aerobic-based activities had the greatest health benefit , other than for bone health , in which case high-impact weight bearing activities were required .
Some of the health benefits can be achieved through an average of 30 minutes per day . [
Level 2 , Grade A ] .
Background The purpose was to : 1 ) perform a systematic review of studies examining the relation between physical activity , fitness , and health in school-aged children and youth , and 2 ) make recommendations based on the findings .
Physical activity and clustered cardiovascular risk in children: a cross-sectional study (The European Youth Heart Study)
BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis develops from early childhood ; physical activity could positively affect this process . This study 's aim was to assess the associations of objective ly measured physical activity with clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors in children and derive guidelines on the basis of this analysis . METHODS We did a cross-sectional study of 1732 r and omly selected 9-year-old and 15-year-old school children from Denmark , Estonia , and Portugal . Risk factors included in the composite risk factor score ( mean of Z scores ) were systolic blood pressure , triglyceride , total cholesterol/HDL ratio , insulin resistance , sum of four skinfolds , and aerobic fitness . Individuals with a risk score above 1 SD of the composite variable were defined as being at risk . Physical activity was assessed by accelerometry . FINDINGS Odds ratios for having clustered risk for ascending quintiles of  physical activity  ( counts per min ; cpm ) were 3.29 ( 95 % CI 1.96 - 5.52 ) , 3.13 ( 1.87 - 5.25 ) , 2.51 ( 1.47 - 4.26 ) , and 2.03 ( 1.18 - 3.50 ) , respectively , compared with the most active quintile . The first to the third quintile of physical activity had a raised risk in all analyses . The mean time spent above 2000 cpm in the fourth quintile was 116 min per day in 9-year-old and 88 min per day in 15-year-old children . INTERPRETATION  Physical activity  levels should be higher than the current international guidelines of at least 1 h per day of physical activity of at least moderate intensity to prevent clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors
Results Physical activity was associated with numerous health benefits .
The dose-response relations observed in observational studies indicate that the more physical activity , the greater the health benefit .
Results from experimental studies indicate that even modest amounts of physical activity can have health benefits in high-risk youngsters ( e.g. , obese ) .
Vigorous intensity activities may provide even greater benefit .
Aerobic-based activities had the greatest health benefit , other than for bone health , in which case high-impact weight bearing activities were required .
Some of the health benefits can be achieved through an average of 30 minutes per day . [
Level 2 , Grade A ] .
Background The purpose was to : 1 ) perform a systematic review of studies examining the relation between physical activity , fitness , and health in school-aged children and youth , and 2 ) make recommendations based on the findings .