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Objective: This paper examines the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) using a multivariate multilevel approach and investigates the links between individual and school-related correlates with children's BMI and CRF., Methods: This cross-sectional sample included 1014 children (6-10 years) from 25 Portuguese primary schools. BMI was calculated, and CRF was assessed with the PACER test. Fundamental movement skills (FMS) included five object control tasks. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sleep, and sedentary time were assessed with the ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer. Socioeconomic status (SES) and school variables were also obtained. A multivariate multilevel model was used, and alpha was set at 5%., Results: BMI and CRF systematically increased with age. Most of the joint variance (94.4%) was explained at the child level, and BMI and CRF were correlated at this level (ρ = -.37). More active children demonstrated higher CRF levels and had lower BMI levels; sedentary and sleep time were not significantly associated with BMI or CRF. FMS were positively associated with CRF but were not significantly associated with BMI. Children at higher SES were more fit and had lower BMI than their peers of lower SES. Finally, school-level variables were not significantly related to BMI and CRF., Conclusion: BMI and CRF had a low but statistically significant negative correlation in this sample of children. Most of the variation in BMI and CRF was explained by child-level characteristics., (© 2024 The Authors. American Journal of Human Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: The aim was to (1) estimate the relationship between physical fitness (PF) and object control fundamental movement skills (FMS), (2) identify child characteristics that relate with PF and FMS, and (3) examine associations between the school environment, PF, and FMS., Methods: The sample included 1014 Portuguese children aged 6-10 years from the REACT project. PF was assessed via running speed, shuttle run, standing long jump, handgrip, and the PACER test. Object control FMS were assessed with stationary dribble, kick, catch, overhand throw, and underhand roll. Test performances were transformed into z-scores, and their sum was expressed as overall PF and FMS. Child-level variables included body mass index (BMI) z-scores, accelerometer-measured sedentary time and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and socioeconomic status (SES). School size, physical education classes, practice areas, and equipment were also assessed., Results: Approximately, 90% of the variance in object control PF and FMS was at the child level, and 10% at the school level. The correlation between PF and object control FMS was .62, which declined to .43 with the inclusion of covariates. Older, more active, and higher SES children had higher object control PF and FMS, and boys outperformed girls. BMI was negatively associated with PF but not with object control FMS. Sedentary time and number of physical education classes were not significant predictors. Most school predictors did not jointly associate with PF and object control FMS., Conclusion: PF and object control FMS z-scores were moderately related. Not all child characteristics were associated with both PF and object control FMS, and their effect sizes were different. School characteristics only explained 10% of the total variation in PF and object control FMS., (© 2024 The Authors. American Journal of Human Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: This study uses longitudinal data from school children in Dunedin, New Zealand, to evaluate impacts of COVID-19 lockdown measures on changes in body mass (BMI, kg/m 2 ). Impacts are assessed using two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses. The "structured days" hypothesis holds that children tend to alter sleep patterns, reduce activity and increase snacking when not in structured environments. The bidirectional hypothesis proposes that over-weight or obese children are predisposed to further gains in unstructured settings., Methods: Juveniles and adolescents (n = 95, 60% female) were recruited from Dunedin schools. Repeated measures analyses assessed variation in intra-individual change in BMI during four periods: P1 (before summer break), P2 (during summer break), P3 (during the COVID-19 lockdown), and P4 (after the lockdown ended). The model also examined if these changes were influenced by participants' sex or body size early in the first period assessed using log-transformed BMI, log-transformed weight, height, or lower leg length., Results: Repeated measures analyses of per month gains in BMI (kg/m 2 ) during the four periods revealed consistent period (p ≤ .001), period by sex (p ≤ .010), and period by body size (p ≤ .001) interactions across all four body size proxies. Both sexes experienced the greatest gains during the lockdown (P3), but differed in response to their summer break (P2)., Conclusion: Results are mostly consistent with the "structured days" hypothesis, but challenge the bidirectional hypothesis as defined. Further research better characterizing risks of gains in adiposity are needed., (© 2023 The Authors. American Journal of Human Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: Studies have shown that children develop a higher body weight during summer months. This has been demonstrated repeatedly using the body mass index (BMI), but the effect of season on other weight-related anthropometric measurements is still unclear., Methods: Measurements of height, weight, waist circumference (WC), triceps, and subscapular skinfolds (TSF and SSF), collected from September till May in a cross-sectional sample of 4-16-year-old children and adolescents (n = 4525) from the Bergen Growth Study 1 (BGS1). Differences in z-score by season were tested with linear models adjusted for age group and separately for sex. Overall differences were tested with a one-way between-group analysis of variance., Results: The girls had higher BMIz (+0.12, p = .03) and WCz (+0.18, p = .002) in fall compared with spring. TSFz (-0.19, p < .001) and SSFz (-0.18, p < .001) were lower in winter in girls, and in boys both in fall (TSFz -0.10, p = .046; SSFz - 0.16, p < .001), and winter (TSFz -0.15, p = .004; SSFz -0.14, p = .003), when compared with spring., Conclusions: Seasonal variation was detected for all anthropometric measures, but differences in the direction of the effect between measures of global (BMI), central (WC) or subcutaneous (SF) adiposity suggest a more complex mechanism that needs further exploration., (© 2024 The Authors. American Journal of Human Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

GATA2 and ZNF148 have both been mapped to chromosome 3q. Pathogenic variants in GATA2 have been associated with immunodeficiency and high risk for myelodysplasia, acute myeloid leukemia, and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Gain-of-function variants in ZNF148 have previously been suggested as a mechanism for agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC). Here, we report a novel 10.4 Mb interstitial deletion on 3q12.33q22.1 including GATA2 and ZNF148 in a child with developmental delay, agenesis of the corpus callosum, and vertebral segmentation defects. With this diagnosis, we were able to suggest preemptive referrals to hematology/oncology and allergy/immunology for close monitoring of early myelodysplasia. We also propose a possible link between ZNF148 loss of function variants and ACC., (© 2024 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: Further evidence on how the Great Recession was associated with childhood obesity is needed, particularly when the world is facing a new and severe economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores: (1) the direct association of the 2008's economic crisis with eating patterns and body mass index (BMI), among children, independently of their socioeconomic status (SES), and (2) the indirect association between the crisis and children's BMI, by using eating patterns as mediators., Methods: A sample of children (n = 8472, mean age: 7.17 years old, 50.8% male) was recruited in schools from the cities of Porto, Coimbra and Lisbon, Portugal. Children's height and weight were objectively measured; BMI was calculated. Other data were collected by a parental questionnaire. A structural equation modeling studied the associations between the economic crisis impact, eating patterns, and BMI; model was adjusted for SES., Results: Children in families that reported a greater impact of the economic crisis showed higher consumption of unhealthy food items and lower consumption of healthy foods, regardless of SES. Indirectly, children whose parents scored higher in the economic crisis impact had higher BMI mediated by a higher consumption of cakes/chocolates and lower intake of vegetables/salads., Conclusions: The economic crisis was associated with higher BMI and unhealthy eating patterns. Efforts to promote healthy diets and weight are needed at a population level rather than for specific social classes, particularly in the face of a new economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: Urban-rural comparisons between those who maintain traditional lifestyles such as pastoralist Maasai children, and those who live in cities such as Nairobi, provide implications on how urbanization is associated with children's physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) patterns. This study compares PA and SB volumes and patterns across different segments of the week among children in Maasai village and Nairobi city in Kenya., Method: A total of 261 children (11.4 ± 1.3 years) from Maasai (n = 118) and Nairobi (n = 143) participated in this cross-sectional study. Moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) and SB on weekdays (before, during, and after school) and weekends (morning, afternoon, and evening) were calculated using accelerometers (ActiGraph). Screen time and sleep duration were assessed using questionnaires., Results: Maasai children were more physically active than Nairobi children with MVPA (min/day) of 166.6 and 81.4 for Maasai and Nairobi boys and 116.4 and 77.4 for Maasai and Nairobi girls, respectively. Our week segments analyses suggested that Maasai children were more active both in and out of school than Nairobi children. Additionally, Nairobi children spent more time watching television and playing computer games than Maasai children. There was no significant difference in sleep duration between Maasai and Nairobi children., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that urbanization is negatively associated with activity patterns both in and out of school in Kenyan children. This is concerning given that Kenya is currently undergoing rapid urbanization, which may lead to further reductions in PA among Kenyan children., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The Step it UP! Game is an interdependent group reinforcement contingency based on the Good Behavior Game. We evaluated the effects of the Step it UP! Game on the number of steps taken by 3rd-grade students during physical-education (PE) classes at a local public elementary school. We divided the class into 2 teams and awarded a "Step it UP! Champ" badge to the members of the team with the highest mean step totals at the end of each game. We used a reversal design to compare the mean number of steps taken while playing the game and during regular PE classes. Overall, participants took more steps while playing the game than they did during class periods without the game. When given the opportunity to choose playing the Step it UP! Game or having regular PE class during a follow-up session, 16 of 18 participants voted to play the game., (© 2019 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.)