Sports practice is related to resting heart rate in adolescents regardless of confounding factors: Cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction. - We investigated the associations between total and different domains of physical activity and resting heart rate in adolescents. Summary of facts and results. - The sample was composed of 716 girls and 515 boys aged between 14 to 17 (15.55 +/- 1.07) years. Resting heart rate was evaluated using an oscillometric device. Physical activity was assessed using a questionnaire, taking into consideration the different domains (leisure and sports practice). The relationship between resting heart rate and the different physical activity domains was analyzed by means of Linear Regression. After adjustment for body mass index, total physical activity (beta = -0.54) and sports practice (beta = -0.62) were inversely associated with high resting heart rate. Conclusion. - Results indicate that practice of sports constitutes an important tool against high resting heart rate values. (C) 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.