Objectively measured physical activity in young adults born preterm at very low birth weight

Area of Science:

• Developmental Pediatrics
• Exercise Physiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Individuals born preterm with very low birth weight (<1500 g) historically exhibit reduced physical activity.
• Previous studies suggest long-term impacts on activity levels in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To objectively assess and compare physical activity levels in unimpaired adults born very low birth weight versus those born at term.
• To determine if the previously observed lower physical activity in very low birth weight survivors persists into adulthood.

Main Methods:

• Utilized wrist-worn accelerometers for objective measurement of physical activity.
• Recruited 57 adults born very low birth weight and 47 control subjects, all aged 25 years.
• Analyzed data for various physical activity metrics including intensity, duration, and frequency.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were found in any measured physical activity parameters between the very low birth weight and control groups.
• Objective data contradicts the hypothesis of consistently lower physical activity in unimpaired adults born very low birth weight.

Conclusions:

• Unimpaired adults born very low birth weight do not exhibit lower physical activity levels at age 25 compared to term-born peers.
• The long-term impact of very low birth weight on physical activity may not persist into adulthood for healthy individuals.