title: Physical activity and upper respiratory tract infections in a normal population of young men and women: the Amsterdam Growth and Health Study.
abstract: A population of young adults, 92 men and 107 women, with a mean age of 21 (+/- 0.7) years, were retrospectively questioned about their habitual physical activity levels (period of 3 months) and the incidence and duration of upper respiratory tract infection (URI) symptoms (period of 6 months). We hypothesized that the incidence and duration of URI symptoms were inversely related with the level of sports activity and total physical activity. Only in women was a statistically significant (P less than 0.05) negative relation found between the incidence of URI symptoms and the level of sports activity. However, the low Spearman's rho coefficient (-0.18) indicates a very weak relation between both parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology and Health, Faculty of Human Movement Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam-zo, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Schouten
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Verschuur
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kemper
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors