Overall , total PA was favourably associated with physical , psychological/social , and cognitive health indicators .
Relationships were more consistent and robust for higher ( e.g. , MVPA ) versus lower ( e.g. , LPA ) intensity PA .
All patterns of activity ( sporadic , bouts , continuous ) provided benefit .
LPA was favourably associated with cardiometabolic biomarkers ; data were scarce for other outcomes .
These findings continue to support the importance of at least 60 min/day of MVPA for disease prevention and health promotion in children and youth , but also highlight the potential benefits of LPA and total PA .
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) is essential for disease prevention and health promotion .
Emerging evidence suggests other intensities of physical activity ( PA ) , including light-intensity activity ( LPA ) , may also be important , but there has been no rigorous evaluation of the evidence .
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationships between objective ly measured PA ( total and all intensities ) and health indicators in school-aged children and youth .
Online data bases were search ed for peer- review ed studies that met the a priori inclusion criteria : population ( apparently healthy , aged 5 - 17 years ) , intervention/exposure/comparator ( volumes , duration s , frequencies , intensities , and patterns of objective ly measured PA ) , and outcome ( body composition , cardiometabolic biomarkers , physical fitness , behavioural conduct/pro-social behaviour , cognition/academic achievement , quality of life/well-being , harms , bone health , motor skill development , psychological distress , self-esteem ) .
Objectively measured daily physical activity related to aerobic fitness in young children
Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate by direct measurement the cross-sectional relationship between accelerometer-measured physical activity and peak oxygen uptake ( [Vdot]O2peak : ml · min−1 · kg−1 ) , in a population -based cohort of young children , since such data are scarce . The study included 468 children ( 246 boys , 222 girls ) aged 6.7 ± 0.4 years , recruited from a population -based cohort . Peak oxygen uptake was measured by indirect calorimetry during a maximal treadmill exercise test . Physical activity was assessed by accelerometers over a 4-day period . Minutes of sedentary , light , moderate , moderate-to-vigorous , and vigorous activity per day were calculated . Mean counts per minute were considered to reflect total physical activity . Pearson correlation coefficients indicated a weak relationship between daily physical activity variables and [Vdot]O2peak in boys ( r = 0.15–0.28 , P < 0.05 ) , with the exception of time in sedentary and light activity , which was not related to [Vdot]O2peak . None of the daily physical activity variables were related to [Vdot]O2peak in girls , with the exception of a very weak relationship for moderate activity ( r = 0.14 , P < 0.05 ) . Multiple regression analyses indicated that the various physical activity variables explained between 2 and 8 % of the variance in [Vdot]O2peak in boys . In this population -based cohort , most daily activity variables were positively related to aerobic fitness in boys , whereas less clear relationships were observed in girls . Our finding  that physical activity was only uniformly related to aerobic fitness in boys partly contradicts previous studies in older children and adolescents
Overall , total PA was favourably associated with physical , psychological/social , and cognitive health indicators .
Relationships were more consistent and robust for higher ( e.g. , MVPA ) versus lower ( e.g. , LPA ) intensity PA .
All patterns of activity ( sporadic , bouts , continuous ) provided benefit .
LPA was favourably associated with cardiometabolic biomarkers ; data were scarce for other outcomes .
These findings continue to support the importance of at least 60 min/day of MVPA for disease prevention and health promotion in children and youth , but also highlight the potential benefits of LPA and total PA .
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) is essential for disease prevention and health promotion .
Emerging evidence suggests other intensities of physical activity ( PA ) , including light-intensity activity ( LPA ) , may also be important , but there has been no rigorous evaluation of the evidence .
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationships between objective ly measured PA ( total and all intensities ) and health indicators in school-aged children and youth .
Online data bases were search ed for peer- review ed studies that met the a priori inclusion criteria : population ( apparently healthy , aged 5 - 17 years ) , intervention/exposure/comparator ( volumes , duration s , frequencies , intensities , and patterns of objective ly measured PA ) , and outcome ( body composition , cardiometabolic biomarkers , physical fitness , behavioural conduct/pro-social behaviour , cognition/academic achievement , quality of life/well-being , harms , bone health , motor skill development , psychological distress , self-esteem ) .