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Physical activity in the post‐pubertal period is associated with maintenance of pre‐pubertal high bone density – a 5‐year follow‐up
Author(s) -
Valdimarsson Ö.,
Sigurdsson G.,
Steingrímsdóttir L.,
Karlsson M. K.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2005.00433.x
Subject(s) - medicine , bone mineral , forearm , femoral neck , bone density , physical activity , lumbar spine , population , dual energy x ray absorptiometry , osteoporosis , physical therapy , surgery , environmental health
Objective: To evaluate the association between physical activity (PA) and skeletal growth in girls during adolescence. Design: A 5‐year, observational, population‐based study (Reykjavik, Iceland). Subjects: Seventy‐eight Caucasian girls, mean age 13.4±1.0 (mean±SD) years at baseline. Methods: Bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm 2 ) and bone width (cm) were measured in the forearm by single‐photon absorptiometry at baseline and with dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry after 3 and 5 years, when lumbar spine, femoral neck (FN) and total body were also evaluated. Half of the physically active girls were compared with the other half of less active girls. Results: BMD in physically active girls was higher in the forearm at both baseline ( P =0.001) and after 5 years ( P =0.04) in comparison with less active girls. BMD was higher for the total body ( P =0.0001), spine L2–L4 ( P =0.02) and FN ( P =0.002) in the active girls at age 18. The accrual of forearm BMD and bone width from age 13 to 18 was no different when comparing the two groups. Conclusions: Pre‐pubertal PA is associated with high BMD at age 13 and continued PA is associated with maintenance of high BMD until age 18.