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Physical Activity, Fitness and Fatness in Children and Adolescents

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Book cover Epidemiology of Obesity in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Childhood and adolescence are crucial periods of life since dynamic changes in various metabolic systems, including hormonal regulation, changes in body fat content and body fat distribution, as well as transient changes in insulin sensitivity are known to occur during growth and puberty (Cruz et al. 2005). Dramatic psychological changes also occur during this period. Likewise, lifestyle and healthy/unhealthy behaviors are established during these years, which may influence adult behavior and health status.

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Acknowledgements

The present work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education (EX-2007-1124, AP-2004-2745, AP-2005-3827 and AP2005-4358 INCLUDE: EX-2009-0899), the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, and the ALPHA study, an European Union-funded study, in the framework of the Public Health Program (Ref: 2006120).

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Jiménez-Pavón, D. et al. (2011). Physical Activity, Fitness and Fatness in Children and Adolescents. In: Moreno, L., Pigeot, I., Ahrens, W. (eds) Epidemiology of Obesity in Children and Adolescents. Springer Series on Epidemiology and Public Health, vol 2. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6039-9_19

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