Physical performance and physical activity in older people: are developmental influences important?
BACKGROUND
Reduced physical performance and physical activity have serious health consequences, but adult determinants do not fully explain variation in older people.


OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to investigate the relationship between early growth, physical performance and physical activity in older people.


METHODS
We studied 349 men and 280 women born 1931-1939 with known birth weight and weight at 1 year who were taking part in the Hertfordshire Cohort Study, UK. Physical performance was measured (3-m walk, chair rises and standing balance) and physical activity was assessed by questionnaire and converted to estimated energy expenditure.


RESULTS
Poor balance was associated with lower birth weight (odds ratio [OR] for poor balance per standard deviation [SD] increase in birth weight = 0.68, p=0.01) and weight at 1 year (OR for poor balance per SD increase in weight at 1 year=0.67, p=0.03) after adjustment for age and current size in men, but not in women. There were no significant positive relationships between early size and growth and the other measures of physical performance or physical activity in men or women.


CONCLUSIONS
Current lifestyle factors, particularly those affecting adult weight, may be more important than developmental influences on most measures of physical performance and physical activity in older people.
Martin
H J
HJ
MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Syddall
H E
HE
Dennison
E M
EM
Cooper
C
C
Sayer
A Aihie
AA
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D001724:Birth Weight; D001835:Body Weight; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D048788:Growth and Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom