Physical Activity Levels, Barriers, and Pediatric Physiology Flashcards

Flashcards covering key terms, definitions, parameters, and physiological responses related to pediatric physical activity, obesity, cognitive processing, and substrate metabolism based on the lecture notes.

Children (Age Category)

Anyone below the age of $13$.

Adolescence

The developmental age range spanning from age $13$ to $19$.

Physical Activity

Any large muscle group activity that significantly increases energy expenditure above rest.

$$\text{VO}_2$$

The primary index used for measuring energy expenditure.

Resting Average Expenditure

An energy expenditure rate of $3.5\,\text{mL/kg/min}$, which defines $1\,\text{MET}$.

Moderate Physical Activity

Activity where heart rate, ventilation, or sweat rate is somewhat above rest, corresponding to $3\text{ to }5.9\,\text{METs}$ (e.g., walking with purpose at $3\,\text{METs}$).

Vigorous Physical Activity

Activity where heart rate, ventilation, or sweat rate is much above rest, corresponding to $>6\,\text{METs}$ (e.g., a slow jog at $6\,\text{METs}$).

Childhood Obesity Percentile Cutoff

The classification standard where a child is categorized as obese if their BMI is above the $95\text{th}$ percentile.

Menarche

The onset of a female's first menstrual cycle, which occurs earlier in obese children and results in longer lifetime exposure to estrogen.

P3 Latency

A measure of neurocognitive processing speed; high-fit children display faster P3 latency compared to low-fit counterparts, indicating quicker processing.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)

A factor that supports the maintenance and growth of nerves; its levels increase with exercise (endurance training increases BDNF more than strength training).

Phosphofructokinase (PFK)

An essential enzyme associated with glycolysis that is found in lower concentrations in children compared to adults.

Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER)

A metric indicating substrate utilization where pure carbohydrate oxidation equals $1$ and fat oxidation equals $0.7$; children have a lower RER than adults because they rely more on fat oxidation.

$$\text{VO}_2\text{max}$$

The maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can consume.

Fick Equation

The physiological equation defining oxygen uptake: $\text{VO}_2 = Q \times \text{a-VO}_2$, where $Q$ is cardiac output and $\text{a-VO}_2$ is the arterial-venous oxygen difference.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

An objective or subjective measurement incorporating income, education, occupation, and social class.