Adults born at very low birth weight exercise less than their peers born at term.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 g) birth on physical activity, an important protective and modifiable factor.


METHODS
VLBW participants (n=163) with no major disability and 188 individuals born at term (mean age, 22.3 years; range, 18.5-27.1) completed a standardized questionnaire of physical activity.


RESULTS
VLBW participants reported less leisure-time conditioning physical activity. They were 1.61-fold more likely to "not exercise much," 1.61-fold more likely to exercise infrequently (once a week or less), 2.75-fold more likely to exercise with low intensity (walking), and 3.11-fold more likely to have short exercise sessions (<30 minutes). The differences were present even in subjects with no history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia or asthma and were only slightly attenuated when adjusted for height, parental education, lean body mass, and percent body fat.


CONCLUSIONS
Unimpaired adults who were VLBW exercise less during their leisure time than adults born at term. Promoting physical activity may be particularly important in the VLBW population to counteract the risks of chronic disease in adult life.
Kajantie
Eero
E
National Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Chronic Disease Prevention, Helsinki, Finland. eero.kajantie@helsinki.fi
Strang-Karlsson
Sonja
S
Hovi
Petteri
P
Räikkönen
Katri
K
Pesonen
Anu-Katriina
AK
Heinonen
Kati
K
Järvenpää
Anna-Liisa
AL
Eriksson
Johan G
JG
Andersson
Sture
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015444:Exercise; D005865:Gestational Age; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007899:Leisure Activities; D010379:Peer Group; D055815:Young Adult