Sex Differences in Birth Weight and Physical Activity in Japanese Schoolchildren

Mitsuya Yamakita,Zentaro Yamagata,Miri Sato,Kohta Suzuki,Daisuke Ando

doi:10.2188/jea.je20170078

Abstract

BackgroundLower birth weight (BW) is associated with increased chronic disease risk later in life. Previous studies suggest that this may be mediated principally via physical activity (PA). However, the association between BW and PA in children has not been clarified. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between BW and PA in school-aged children in Japan.MethodsParticipants were children from a prospective birth cohort study (Project Koshu) who were born from 1996 through 2002 in rural Japan. BWs were obtained from the Maternal and Child Health Handbook. Data on PA during childhood were collected using a self-reported questionnaire when participants were 9–15 years of age in July 2011. Analysis of covariance was used to evaluate exercise duration; Poisson regression analysis was used to evaluate if the recommended PA amount was met.ResultsData from 657 children (boys: 54.8%, follow-up rate: 77.6%) were analyzed. Compared with the normal BW group, only girls in the low-BW group had significantly lower PA level (normal BW, 11.4 [standard error, 1.0] hours/week; low BW, 5.8 [standard error, 3.6] hours/week, P = 0.010), and were more likely to not meet the recommended PA level (prevalence ratio 1.57; 95% CI, 1.14–2.16).ConclusionLow BW was associated with a lower PA level in school-aged girls but not boys. Earlier consideration of BW may be an important public health strategy to prevent physical inactivity in school-aged girls.

Highlights

A meta-analysis suggested a lower probability of undertaking leisure-time physical activity (PA) in adolescent and adults with a low or high birth weight (BW),[23] which indicated that the association between BW
Characteristics of participants During the study period, maternal information during pregnancy and BW were collected from 847 children
The results demonstrated that girls with low BW have a significantly lower activity level compared to girls with normal BW, with a medium-to-large effect size

Summary

Introduction

Physical activity (PA) is one of the most important contributors to maintaining optimal health, and considerable evidence suggests that sufficient PA has the potential to prevent numerous diseases and provide health benefits to people of all ages.[1,2,3,4] Studies suggest that school-age PA influences adult PA and health status in later life.[5,6,7,8] PA promotion may be effective if initiated in childhood or earlier in life.globally, 81% of school-going children and adolescents aged 11–17 years do not meet the recommended guideline[9] of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA daily.[1]. Physical activity (PA) is one of the most important contributors to maintaining optimal health, and considerable evidence suggests that sufficient PA has the potential to prevent numerous diseases and provide health benefits to people of all ages.[1,2,3,4] Studies suggest that school-age PA influences adult PA and health status in later life.[5,6,7,8] PA promotion may be effective if initiated in childhood or earlier in life.

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