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Associations between movement behaviors and glycemic variability in healthy adolescents: a multiday accelerometry and continuous glucose monitoring study

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Abstract

Purpose: Glycemic variability is a potential risk factor for cardiometabolic disease. As adolescence is a critical period for establishing metabolic health, this study examined associations between daily physical activity (PA) levels, sedentary time, and glycemic variability in healthy adolescents under free-living conditions.Methods: Eighty-seven adolescents (53 girls; mean age: 12.9 [0.8] y) wore a continuous glucose monitor (FreeStyle Libre) and an accelerometer (ActiGraph) concurrently over 8 days. Generalized estimating equations examined daily associations in participants with ≥3 days of concurrent accelerometer/continuous glucose monitor data, after adjusting for key confounders. Results: Vigorous PA was consistently associated with a lower glucose coefficient of variation (exponentiated beta coefficient [exp β] = 0.898; 95% CI, 0.828–0.974; P = .010), mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (exp β = 0.889; 95% CI, 0.804–0.983; P = .022), and SD of glucose (exp β = 0.914; 95% CI, 0.845–0.988; P = .023) and a greater percentage in the 3.9 to 7.8 mmol·L−1 glucose range (exp β = 1.020; 95% CI, 1.003–1.038; P = .019). Moderate-to-vigorous PA was also inversely associated with coefficient of variation and SD of glucose (P ≤ .018). Yet, sedentary time, light PA, moderate PA, and total PA were not significantly associated with any glycemic metric (P ≥ .145). Conclusion: PA at moderate-to-vigorous, and especially vigorous, intensities was associated with lower glycemic variability in healthy adolescents.

Publication Information

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Research Output:
Contribution to journal
Article
 Peer-review

Original language

English

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Pediatric Exercise Science

Publication milestones

  • Accepted/In press - 11/02/2026
  • Published - 21/05/2026

Publication status

Published - 21/05/2026

ISSN

0899-8493

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