Do Physical Activity Patterns Across the Lifecourse Impact Birth Outcomes?

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Lifecourse Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Established impact of physical activity around pregnancy on birth outcomes.
• Lifecourse theory suggests earlier factors influence later health outcomes.
• Need to examine long-term physical activity patterns' effect on birth outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between lifecourse physical activity patterns and birth outcomes.
• To determine if consistent physical activity over time impacts preterm birth and low birth weight.
• To analyze data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

Main Methods:

• Sample of 1,713 women from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Waves I, III, IV).
• Categorization of physical activity: long-term active, short-term active, not active.
• Survey-weighted logistic regression controlling for covariates to assess preterm birth (<37 weeks) and low birth weight (<5.5 pounds).

Main Results:

• Long-term physically active women showed lower unadjusted rates of preterm birth (12.2% vs. 18.7%) and low birth weight (9.1% vs. 11.1%) compared to inactive women.
• Adjusted analysis indicated that consistent physical activity across the lifecourse significantly predicted a reduced risk of preterm birth (aOR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.33-0.91).
• No significant association was found for low birth weight after controlling for covariates.

Conclusions:

• Physical activity patterns maintained over the lifecourse, prior to pregnancy, are associated with decreased risk of preterm birth.
• Promoting consistent physical activity over extended periods before pregnancy is a potential public health strategy.
• Lifecourse approach is crucial for understanding and improving pregnancy and birth outcomes.