Associations between Physical Activity Patterns, Screen Time and Cardiovascular Fitness Levels in Swedish Adolescents

Cardiovascular fitness (CVF) has been associated with cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents. CVF levels are determined by non-modifiable and modifiable factors; one modifiable factor is physical activity (PA). There is a lack of studies investigating the associations between PA patterns and CVF and how gender, parental education, BMI status and country of birth are associated with CVF. The aim of this study was to explore the cross-sectional associations between PA patterns and CVF in Swedish 13-14-year-old adolescents. CVF was estimated using the Ekblom-Bak submaximal test, data on PA patterns were collected using hip-worn accelerometers and a questionnaire. The mean CVF was 44.8 mL/kg/min in girls (n = 569) and 55.5 mL/kg/min in boys (n = 451) p < 0.01. The results showed a significant association between participation in organised sports (β = 3.32 CI: 2.14, 4.51, β = 4.38, CI: 2.80, 5.96), MVPA (β = 0.07, CI: 0.04, 0.11, β = 0.07, CI: 0.03, 0.11), a high proportion of SED (β = -0.47, CI: -0.70, -0.25, β = -0.41, CI: -0.64, -0.18) and CVF in girls and boys, respectively. More than five hours of screen time on weekdays was associated with lower CVF (β = -2.32 CI: -3.92, -0.71 in girls and boys β = -2.82, CI: -5.14, -0.50). While causal relations remain unknown, these findings could be relevant when designing future interventions with the aim to improve CVF.