title: Developmental origins of midlife physical performance: evidence from a British birth cohort.
abstract: The authors hypothesized that 1) physical growth, as a marker of the early development of muscle fibers, and 2) advanced childhood motor and cognitive abilities, as markers of central nervous system development, would be positively related to midlife standing balance and chair rising, independently of later life experiences. They tested these hypotheses in a representative British sample of 1,374 men and 1,410 women aged 53 years in 1999 with prospective childhood measures of heights and weights, age at first standing and walking, cognitive ability, and motor coordination. Weight gain before age 7 years was positively related to adult performance in men but not women, independently of later body size, social class, physical activity, and health status. Attainment of motor milestones at the modal age and higher scores on tests of cognitive ability and motor coordination were associated with better performance, independently of other factors. This study is the first to show that childhood growth and development affect midlife performance; prevention of disability and frailty in later life may need to start early.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Royal Free and University College London Medical School, UK. d.kuh@nshd.mrc.ac.uk
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kuh
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Butterworth
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Okell
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wadsworth
authors.forename: Cyrus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Avan Aihie
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sayer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012923:Social Class; D006113:United Kingdom; D015430:Weight Gain