Study finds one in three U.S. youngsters unfit

CHICAGO, Oct 3 (Reuters) About a third of American youngsters age 12 to 19 fail treadmill tests measuring heart and respiratory health, and fatness and sedentary lifestyles are likely culprits, researchers have said.

The finding, published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, was based on tests done from a representative sample of 3,287 boys and girls between 1999 and 2000 researchers said yesterday.

They were interviewed at home and then went to an examination center where they performed a treadmill exercise test consisting of a two-minute warm-up, two three-minute periods of exercise and a two-minute cool-down.

''Approximately one third of males and females ... failed to meet current standards of acceptable cardiorespiratory endurance,'' the University of South Carolina study found.

''This represents a significant public health problem because low physical fitness during adolescence tends to track into adulthood, and low-fit adults are at substantially increased risk for chronic disease morbidity and mortality,'' the study concluded.

''The findings of this study suggest that youth who have high body mass index (a measure of weight), low levels of physical activity and high levels of sedentary behavior are likely to have low cardiorespiratory fitness,'' it added.

Reuters BDP DB0901