The Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health’s (ISEH) Research Fellow Dr Jo Blodgett conducted research with ISEH’s Professor Mark Hamer, Assoc. Professor Dr Snehal Pinto Pereira, and Research Fellow Dr Tom Norris to establish if there was an association between very early life factors (i.e. pre and post birth) and time spent engaging in high intensity activity such as exercise in midlife. This was a collaborative project which also included fellow researchers, Prof Emmanuel Stamatakis and Prof Gary O'Donovan.
The authors came together to investigate this, and in doing so they examined data from the 1970 British Cohort Study, a cohort study that has collected data on individuals throughout their whole lives. They successfully studied the data from the birth questionnaire (filled out by midwives in the first week after they were born) and the most recent collection wave at age 46 where study members wore an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days. This is a unique study as other studies have either relied in retrospective recall from mothers years later or used self-reported physical activity in adulthood.
Of the 8 factors that were investigated as part of the study, the authors found that lower paternal occupational class, younger maternal age and maternal smoking during pregnancy were associated with lower levels of moderate-vigorous intensity activity in midlife. The study also revealed that boys who were post-term had lower activity levels. Findings are important as it is one of few studies to suggest that perinatal factors may contribute to midlife activity, and highlights the need policy considerations and public health intervention that target infants born into disadvantaged environments.
Dr Jo Blodgett shares: “Our findings add to evidence demonstrating that physical activity behaviours may be partially determined by early life factors. In particular, we highlight that factors may emerge as early as birth and that parental factors play a role.”
To learn more, read the full paper published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (BMJ Journals).