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Physical activity in school-age children born preterm
John Lowe1, W John Watkins1, Sarah J Kotecha1
1Department of Child Health, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
Insights
Preterm-born children show similar physical activity levels and sedentary behavior compared to their term-born peers. These activity levels did not correlate with lung function measures in childhood.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Perinatal Medicine
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Preterm birth can impact long-term health, including respiratory and physical development.
- Understanding physical activity in preterm survivors is crucial for their overall well-being and development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare objectively measured physical activity in preterm-born versus term-born children at ages 11 and 15.
- To investigate the relationship between physical activity and lung function in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.
- Compared total physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and sedentary behavior across different gestational age groups.
- Correlated physical activity at age 11 with lung spirometry data from ages 7-9.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in physical activity or sedentary behavior between preterm and term-born children.
- Boys exhibited higher physical activity levels than girls at both ages.
- Physical activity at age 11 did not correlate with lung spirometry measures at age 7-9.
Conclusions:
- Gestational age at birth does not appear to influence objectively measured physical activity levels in children.
- Despite potential lung function deficits, preterm-born children maintain comparable physical activity to term-born peers.
- Physical activity is not limited in preterm survivors, suggesting resilience in this aspect of development.
Objectives:
To compare objectively measured physical activity in 11- and 15-year-old children who were born preterm with term-born controls and related physical activity measures to lung function measures.
Study Design:
We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. We compared total physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and sedentary behavior between children born at 25-32, 33-34, 35-36, and 37-43 weeks' gestation at ages 11 and 15 years. At age 11 years, physical activity measures were correlated with lung spirometry recorded at age 7-9 years.
Results:
Valid physical activity data at age 11 years were available for 5025, 197, 57, and 48 children born at 37-43, 35-36, 33-34, and 25-32 weeks' gestation, respectively. At age 15 years, valid physical activity data were available for 1829, 62, 32, and 24 children born at 37-43, 35-36, 33-34, and 25-32 weeks' gestation. Boys were more physically active than girls at both ages. There were no differences in total physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, or sedentary behavior in children between the different gestation groups. Physical activity at age 11 years did not correlate with spirometry measures at age 7-9 years.
Conclusions:
Physical activity was similar for the different gestational groups and did not correlate with lung spirometry. Physical activity does not appear to be limited in preterm-born children despite lung function deficits noted in childhood.
