Abstract
BackgroundIt is known that physical activity during growth has a positive influence on bone mineral accrual, and is thus possibly one strategy to prevent osteoporosis. However, as bone geometry, independent of areal bone mineral density (aBMD), influences fracture risk, this study aimed to evaluate whether hip structure in pre-pubertal girls is also affected by a two-year exercise intervention program.MethodsForty-two girls aged 7–9 years in a school-curriculum-based exercise intervention program comprising 40 minutes of general physical activity per school day (200 minutes per week) were compared with 43 age-matched girls who participated in the general Swedish physical education curriculum comprising a mean of 60 minutes per week. The hip was scanned by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and the hip structural analysis (HSA) software was applied to evaluate bone mineral content (BMC, g), areal bone mineral density (aBMD, g/cm2), periosteal diameter, cross-sectional area (CSA, cm2), section modulus (Z, cm3) and cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI, cm4) of the femoral neck (FN). Annual changes were compared. Subjective duration of physical activity was estimated by questionnaire and objective level of everyday physical activity at follow-up by means of accelerometers worn for four consecutive days. All children remained at Tanner stage 1 throughout the study. Group comparisons were made by independent student's t-test between means and analyses of covariance (ANCOVA).ResultsAt baseline, the two groups did not differ with regard to age, anthropometrics or bone parameters. No between-group differences were observed for annual changes in the FN variables measured.ConclusionA two-year school-based moderately intense general exercise program for 7–9-year-old pre-pubertal girls does not influence structural changes in the FN.
Highlights
It is known that physical activity during growth has a positive influence on bone mineral accrual, and is possibly one strategy to prevent osteoporosis
Measurements of bone mineral content (BMC) and bone size by dual energy X- ray absorptiometry (DXA) must be interpreted with care, as there is a relationship between the traits so that a bigger bone is related to a greater BMC
All standard image files of the proximal femur were analyzed by one technician, using the hip strength analysis (HSA) software, provided by Lunar Instruments Corporation (Madison, WI), a technique described in detail in the previous publications [16]. In this trial we report the bone mineral content (BMC, g) and areal bone mineral density, width, cross-sectional area (CSA, cm2), section modulus (Z, cm3) and cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI, cm4) of the femoral neck (FN)
Summary
It is known that physical activity during growth has a positive influence on bone mineral accrual, and is possibly one strategy to prevent osteoporosis. As bone geometry, independent of areal bone mineral density (aBMD), influences fracture risk, this study aimed to evaluate whether hip structure in pre-pubertal girls is affected by a two-year exercise intervention program. The reports published so far from the Pediatric Osteoporosis Prevention (POP) study in girls [11,12] have only used the standard dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) software. These publications have reported an exercise-induced beneficial outcome in bone mineral accrual and a greater gain in skeletal width of the third lumbar vertebra (L3), with a trend toward a beneficial effect on FN width
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