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Anaerobic performance in 5- to 7-yr-old children of low birthweight

H Keller1, O Bar-Or, S Kriemler

  • 1Children's Exercise and Nutrition Centre and Children's Hospital at Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, ON, Canada.

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|February 29, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Extremely low birthweight (ELBW) children show deficient anaerobic muscle performance compared to normal birthweight peers. This may stem from smaller muscle mass or intrinsic muscle properties.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Exercise Science
  • Neonatal Research
  • Muscle Physiology

Background:

  • Extremely low birthweight (ELBW) and very low birthweight (VLBW) survivors face potential long-term health challenges.
  • Assessing functional outcomes like muscle performance is crucial for understanding developmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate anaerobic muscle performance in children born ELBW (500-999g) and VLBW (1000-1499g).
  • To compare performance with normal birthweight (NBW) controls.

Main Methods:

  • Wingate anaerobic test used to measure peak (PP) and mean (MP) muscle power.
  • Bioimpedance analysis and anthropometry assessed fat-free mass (FFM) and lean muscle area.
  • 14 ELBW, 20 VLBW, and 24 NBW children participated.

Main Results:

  • ELBW children exhibited significantly lower MP and PP than VLBW and NBW groups.
  • Deficits persisted when corrected for total body mass and FFM.
  • Performance was not significantly different when corrected for thigh and calf muscle cross-sectional area.

Conclusions:

  • ELBW children demonstrate reduced anaerobic muscle power.
  • Smaller muscle mass contributes, but intrinsic factors like muscle fiber type, phosphagen content, or motor control may also play a role.
Abstract

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