Original ArticlePhysical Activity in School-Age Children Born Preterm
Section snippets
Methods
We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).9 A total of 14 541 pregnant women with an expected delivery date of April 1, 1991, to December 31, 1992, were enrolled. There were 14 062 live born infants (13 988 alive at 1 year) who were subsequently followed up with questionnaires and clinical assessments. Ethical approval for the study was from the ALSPAC Ethics and Law Committee and the Local Research Ethics Committees. The study Web site contains details of
Results
Valid physical activity data at age 11 were available for 5327 children. A total of 5025 were term-born (≥37 weeks); 48 were born at 25-32 weeks, 57 were born at 33-34 weeks, and 197 were born at 35-36 weeks' gestation. At age 15, valid physical activity data were available for 1947 children, of which 1829 were term; 24 were born at 25-32 weeks, 32 were born at 33-34 weeks, and 62 were born at 35-36 weeks gestational age (Table I). The maximum duration of ventilation during the perinatal period
Discussion
Objectively measured levels of physical activity, in terms of both frequency and intensity, are remarkably similar in both preterm and term-born children despite deficits in lung function in the former. No relationship between lung function and physical activity measures was noted in this general population sample.
Previous studies have shown, using questionnaire based methods, that children born preterm report reduced physical activity compared with term-born peers.7, 20 Although these reports
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Cited by (22)
Motor outcomes of children born extremely preterm; from early childhood to adolescence
2021, Seminars in PerinatologyCitation Excerpt :These results are consistent with other studies, with both decreased PA and increased sedentary behavior seen in children born VP compared with term.36,37 In contrast, other studies have reported no difference in accelerometer-measured PA levels between children/adolescents born EP/VP and at term.38-40 In studies using parent or self-report, differences in PA levels between those born VP/EP and their term-born peers seem to emerge in adolescence.
Prospective Study of Physical Activity of Preterm Born Children from Age 5 to 14 Years
2019, Journal of PediatricsCitation Excerpt :In light of the uncertainty within the literature to whether prematurity is related to physical activity in adolescence, this large representative national cohort from the UK provides evidence that according to parental reports between 5 and 11 years, very, moderate, and late preterm born children in the Millennium Cohort Study engaged as much in organized or un-organized physical activity as term born peers. These results are supported by other birth cohorts11,37,38 or studies linked to neonatal data that exclude chronic motor or lung impairment.39,40 Differences in physical activity participation were reported in preterm infants with impaired lung14 or motor function,16 and these subgroups of preterm children could profit from individually tailored advice regarding participation in physical activity.
Cardiovascular Stress Test in People Born Preterm: A Peephole Into the Future <sup>∗</sup>
2018, Journal of the American College of CardiologyLeisure Time Physical Activity in Young Adults Born Preterm
2017, Journal of PediatricsCitation Excerpt :This was also the case in a subset of the present cohort who underwent accelerometry.34 Objective measurements during childhood have not been able to capture differences in physical activity between those born preterm and at term,35,36 except in 1 study of 7-year-old boys born very preterm (<32 weeks).37 One reason for this discrepancy may be that self-reporting and accelerometry capture different aspects of physical activity.
Physical activity outcomes following preterm birth
2017, Paediatric Respiratory ReviewsCitation Excerpt :Interestingly, we noted that this effect was not mediated by increased wheeze, which was independently associated with lower gestational age at birth (Figure 2). Our second study, using data from an earlier cohort of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, did not find a difference between MVPA or SED in preterm-born children when compared to term-born controls at the ages of 11 and 15 years [27]. However, levels of MVPA were substantially below the national recommendations (Figure 3).
Sports participation and preterm birth: a nationwide birth cohort in Japan
2022, Pediatric Research
Funded by the UK Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust (092731), University of Bristol, the UK Medical Research Council (G0401540), and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01 HL071248-01A). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.