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Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and childhood asthma: a European collaborative analysis
Marianne Eijkemans1,2, Monique Mommers3, Margreet W Harskamp-van Ginkel4
1Maastricht University Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht, Netherlands m.eijkemans@alumni.maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Insights
Early childhood physical activity and sedentary behavior showed no association with later childhood asthma or lung function. These findings suggest lifestyle factors in early years may not predict respiratory health outcomes in later childhood.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric respiratory health
- Childhood lifestyle factors
- Public health epidemiology
Background:
- Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior are crucial for child development.
- Understanding their long-term impact on respiratory health, including asthma and lung function, is vital.
- Previous research has yielded inconsistent findings on these associations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between early childhood physical activity and sedentary behavior.
- To determine the relationship with asthma development and lung function in later childhood.
- Utilizing a large, collaborative European study dataset.
Main Methods:
- Pooled longitudinal data from 26 European birth cohorts.
- Meta-analysis of cohort-specific estimates and individual participant data.
- Assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior at ages 3-5 years; asthma and lung function (spirometry) at ages 6-18 years.
Main Results:
- No significant association was found between early childhood physical activity or sedentary behavior and asthma development.
- Physical activity in early years was not linked to lung function outcomes in later childhood.
- Inconsistent results were observed regarding sedentary behavior and lung function.
Conclusions:
- Reduced physical activity and increased sedentary behavior before age 6 were not associated with the presence of asthma later in childhood.
- Early life lifestyle behaviors do not appear to be significant predictors of childhood asthma or lung function.
- Further research may be needed to explore other contributing factors to respiratory health in children.
Objectives:
To investigate the associations of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour in early childhood with asthma and reduced lung function in later childhood within a large collaborative study.
Design:
Pooling of longitudinal data from collaborating birth cohorts using meta-analysis of separate cohort-specific estimates and analysis of individual participant data of all cohorts combined.
Setting:
Children aged 0-18 years from 26 European birth cohorts.
Participants:
136 071 individual children from 26 cohorts, with information on PA and/or sedentary behaviour in early childhood and asthma assessment in later childhood.
Main Outcome Measure:
Questionnaire-based current asthma and lung function measured by spirometry (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/forced vital capacity) at age 6-18 years.
Results:
Questionnaire-based and accelerometry-based PA and sedentary behaviour at age 3-5 years was not associated with asthma at age 6-18 years (PA in hours/day adjusted OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.04; sedentary behaviour in hours/day adjusted OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.07). PA was not associated with lung function at any age. Analyses of sedentary behaviour and lung function showed inconsistent results.
Conclusions:
Reduced PA and increased sedentary behaviour before 6 years of age were not associated with the presence of asthma later in childhood.
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