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Lower conditioning leisure-time physical activity in young adults born preterm at very low birth weight
Nina Kaseva1, Karoliina Wehkalampi, Sonja Strang-Karlsson
1Department of Chronic Disease and Diabetes Prevention, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland. nina.kaseva@fimnet.fi
Insights
Healthy adults born preterm at very low birth weight (VLBW) engage in less frequent leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) with lower overall exercise volume and energy expenditure compared to term-born individuals. These findings highlight potential long-term health implications for VLBW survivors.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Cardiovascular Health
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Adults born preterm with very low birth weight (VLBW) exhibit increased risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.
- Lower physical activity levels may contribute to these elevated risks in VLBW individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare physical activity levels in healthy young adults born preterm at VLBW with those born at term.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 94 VLBW and 101 term-born young adults (21-29 years) completed physical activity and personality questionnaires.
- Validated questionnaires assessed conditioning and non-conditioning leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and commuting activity over 12 months.
- Statistical analysis involved multiple linear regression, adjusting for covariates, with a subset undergoing body composition analysis.
Main Results:
- VLBW adults showed significantly lower frequency, total time, total volume, and energy expenditure for conditioning LTPA compared to controls, even after adjustments.
- Adjusting for lean body mass partially attenuated these differences, suggesting body composition plays a role.
- No significant differences were observed in non-conditioning LTPA or commuting physical activity.
Conclusions:
- Unimpaired adults born at VLBW engage in less frequent and lower volume conditioning LTPA, leading to reduced energy expenditure.
- Observed differences in personality traits did not explain the reduced physical activity in the VLBW group.
- These findings suggest a need for targeted interventions to promote physical activity in VLBW survivors to mitigate long-term health risks.
Background:
Adults born preterm at very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 g) have elevated levels of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Preliminary observations suggest that this could partly be explained by lower rates of physical activity. The aim of this study was to assess physical activity in healthy young adults born preterm at very low birth weight compared with term-born controls.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
We studied 94 unimpaired young adults, aged 21-29 years, born at VLBW and 101 age-, sex-, and birth hospital-matched term-born controls from one regional center in Southern Finland. The participants completed a validated 30-item 12-month physical activity questionnaire and the NEO-Personality Inventory based on the Big Five taxonomy, the most commonly used classification of personality traits. Yearly frequency, total time, total volume and energy expenditure of conditioning and non-conditioning leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and commuting physical activity were compared between VLBW and term-born subjects. A subset of participants underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry for body composition measurement. Data were analyzed by multiple linear regression. Compared with controls, VLBW participants had lower frequency [-38.5% (95% CI; -58.9, -7.7)], total time [-47.4% (95% CI; -71.2, -4.1)], total volume [-44.3% (95% CI; -65.8, -9.2)] and energy expenditure [-55.9% (95% CI; -78.6, -9.4)] of conditioning LTPA when adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, parental education and personality traits. Adjusting for lean body mass instead of body mass index attenuated the difference. There were no differences in non-conditioning LTPA or commuting physical activity.
Conclusions/Significance:
Compared with term-born controls, unimpaired VLBW adults undertake less frequent LTPA with lower total time and volume of exercise resulting in lower energy expenditure. Differences in personality that exist between the VLBW and term-born groups do not seem to explain this association.
