title: Relation between self-recalled childhood physical activity and adult physical activity: The women's health initiative.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence suggests that childhood physical activity may play a role in the etiology and prevention of adult chronic diseases. Because researchers must often depend on self-recalled physical activity data many years after the exposure, it is important to understand factors which may influence adult recall of childhood physical activity. This study evaluated the influence of adult characteristics on reported childhood physical activity and the association between adult physical activity and self-recalled childhood physical activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  48,066 post-menopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study reported their physical activity level during ages 5 - 9, 10 - 14, and 15 - 19.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this cohort, over 65% of the population reported the same category of physical activity over the three childhood age groups. While higher levels of childhood physical activity were significantly associated with higher adult physical activity, this association varied by race/ethnicity, education, smoking, body mass index, history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, social support and physical functional status. Women who were consistently highly active reported adult physical activity levels that were 2.82 MET-hr/week (95% C.I. = 2.43, 3.20) higher compared to women who were always physically inactive during childhood.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important for researchers to understand the influence of adult characteristics on reported childhood physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Irvine, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Irvine, USA.
authors.forename: Hannah L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: S Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA.
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stefanick
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente, Portland, USA.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tuscon, Arizona, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bea
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of California Davis, Sacramento, USA.
authors.forename: Lihong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: S Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA.
authors.forename: Kristopher
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kapphahn
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lamonte
authors.affiliation: Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
authors.forename: Tood
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Manini
authors.affiliation: S Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA.
authors.forename: Manisha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Irvine, USA.
authors.forename: Hoda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Anton-Culver
keywords: Adult; Childhood; Physical Activity; Self-Reported