Abstract
Introduction: While it is known that physical activity (PA) is associated with lung health in aging and chronically-ill populations, associations are less clear for lung function in healthy young people. We measured PA in a large cohort of adolescents and modelled its relationship with spirometric indices.
Methods: PA was measured by 7-day accelerometry and combined with spirometric data in a cohort of 1196 adolescents followed in the German birth cohorts GINIplus and LISAplus in the cities of Munich and Wesel. Of these, 1102 (45% male, mean age 15.6 + 0.5 years) had no apparent pulmonary disease. PA was expressed as average daily minutes in moderate activity, vigorous activity, and with fraction of days in which the subject achieved at least 60 minutes moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) as recommended by the World Health Organization. All models were corrected for age, height, gender, BMI category and study center.
Results: Boys and girls averaged 31 and 26 minutes of moderate activity per day, 14 and 11 minutes of vigorous, and got at least 60 minutes MVPA on 27% and 21% of days, respectively. These activity values are consistent with the literature but below WHO recommendations. Spirometric parameters matched values established by the Global Lung Initiative. There was no association between activity level and any spirometric lung volume or flow in either sex.
Conclusions: We found no association between PA and spirometric indices in apparently lung-healthy German adolescents.
- Copyright ©ERS 2015
