Abstract

Abstract Background/Aims Physical activity is known to be beneficial for musculoskeletal health across the lifecourse. We have previously demonstrated that regular participation in weight-bearing physical activity (WBPA) at the time of peak bone mass acquisition is associated with higher hip bone mineral density in late adulthood in women. Understanding how WBPA tracks across the lifecourse may help us develop interventions to promote WBPA for musculoskeletal benefit; we consider these relationships here. Methods The study population consisted of 128 men and 130 women from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Questionnaire data on participation in sports and leisure time exercise involving WBPA e.g. running, racquet sports, football, rugby, hockey and dancing, but not walking, cycling or swimming were collected for the following age bands: <18 years; ages 18-29 years; ages 30-49 years; and ≥50 years. Responses were coded as none/ once a month/ once a week/ ≥once a week. Data on current lifestyle and physical activity levels were also collected. Results The mean age of participants was 75.4 (SD 2.5) years in men and 75.7 (SD 2.6) years in women. Men tended to report higher levels of past WBPA throughout the lifecourse, with significant differences in WBPA up to the age of 18 years (p = 0.006) and 18-29 years (p < 0.001). Table 1 shows kappa statistics of relationships between reported WBPA levels at different ages. These decreased over time, and while broadly similar, the tracking was generally stronger in women than men. For example, we observed that participants who were active at 30-49 years were more likely to remain active in late adulthood with kappa in men 0.393 (95%CI: 0.295-0.442) and kappa in women 0.492 (95% CI: 0.400-0.555). Conclusion WBPA decreased with advancing age in both sexes, though was generally higher in men than women in this retrospective cohort study. The correlation between WBPA at different stages of the lifecourse weakened as time between the measurements increased in both sexes. Our results highlight the need for further work to understand the drivers to encourage WBPA at different stages in the lifecourse and to facilitate development of appropriate interventions to promote WBPA for musculoskeletal benefit. Disclosure J. Zhang: None. K. Jameson: None. L. Westbury: None. N. Fuggle: None. K. Ward: None. C. Cooper: None. E. Dennison: None.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.