ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2023
Relationship between Skeletal Muscle Thickness and Physical Activity in 4- to 6-Year-Olds in Japan.
Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Muscle strength, muscle morphology, and oxidative capacity in normal weight versus overweight and obese youth: a systematic review with meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of different game-based physical activity programs on body composition in Chinese preschool children.Frontiers in public health · 2025Trial
- Weekday-specific associations of movement behaviors with body composition in preschool children: A compositional data analysis.Biology of sport · 2026Article
- Study on the relationship and related factors between physical fitness and health behavior of preschool children in southwest China.BMC public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
purposePhysical activity (PA) is widely recognized as a key factor in promoting skeletal muscle growth, though little is known about the specific impact of PA on the skeletal muscle development of preschool children. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is a relationship between PA levels and skeletal muscle thickness in preschoolers. By exploring this relationship, we hope to gain a better understanding of how PA can be used to promote healthy skeletal muscle development in preschoolers.
methodsIn this study, a total of 275 healthy Japanese preschoolers, aged 4-6 years, from seven nursery schools in the town of Togo were recruited. Participants were asked to wear an accelerometer for four consecutive days to record their daily steps and the amount of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA and t total physical activity. Muscle thickness (MTs) was measured using B-mode ultrasonography at four sites: the anterior and posterior thigh (AT and PT, respectively) and the anterior and posterior lower leg (AL and PL, respectively).
resultsOn weekdays, boys were found to be more physically active and engaged in significantly higher levels of total physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous PA than girls. Both boys and girls recorded more physical activity, daily steps, and higher levels of total physical activity and MVPA on weekdays compared to weekends. After adjusting for daylight duration, multivariable regression analyses revealed that increased total physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous PA were positively associated with greater muscle thickness size in the anterior tibialis (AT) and posterior lower leg (PL) muscles (β = 1.11 and β = 1.37 for AT, β = 1.18 and β = 0.94 for PL,
conclusionsThe time spent involved in most of the different categories of moderate-to-vigorous PA was significantly higher for boys than for girls on the weekdays and weekends. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA and greater development of skeletal muscle in the lower body.
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