Physical activity and cognitive function in adults born very preterm or with very low birth weight-an individual participant data meta-analysis

PLoS One. 2024 Feb 13;19(2):e0298311. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298311. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Objective: Individuals born very preterm (<32 weeks of gestation) or with very low birthweight (<1500g) have lower cognitive function compared with term-born peers. Furthermore, some studies suggest that they are less physically active as young adults than controls, but the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function remains unclear. We performed an individual participant data meta-analysis to examine whether being born preterm/with very low birth weight is associated with physical activity in adulthood and examined if cognitive function mediates this association.

Study design: Cohorts with data on physical activity and cognitive function in adults born very preterm/very low birth weight and term-born controls were recruited from the Research on European Children and Adults Born Preterm, and the Adults Born Preterm International Collaboration Consortia. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed and Embase.

Results: Five cohorts with 1644 participants aged 22-28 years (595 very preterm/very low birth weight and 1049 controls) were included. Adults born very preterm/very low birth weight reported 1.11 (95% CI: 0.68 to 1.54) hours less moderate to vigorous physical activity per week than controls, adjusted for cohort, age and sex. The difference between individuals born very preterm/very low birth weight and controls was larger among women than among men. Neither intelligence quotient nor self-reported executive function mediated the association between very preterm/very low birth weight and moderate to vigorous physical activity. Results were essentially the same when we excluded individuals with neurosensory impairments.

Conclusion: Adults born very preterm/very low birth weight, especially women, reported less moderate to vigorous physical activity than their term-born peers. Cognitive function did not mediate this association. Considering the risk of adverse health outcomes among individuals born preterm, physical activity could be a target for intervention.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Cognition
  • Executive Function
  • Exercise
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant, Extremely Premature*
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant, Very Low Birth Weight
  • Male
  • Premature Birth*
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

The work of KADA, MT, PH, KR, MSI, EK and KAIE was supported by grant from the European Commission as part of the Research on European Children and Adults Born Preterm (RECAP) Consortium Preterm Project (733280), an EU Horizon 2020 study to construct a platform combining data from cohort studies of very preterm birth in Europe. The work of KADA was also funded by the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. SDB was supported by the Dam Foundation and the Central Norway Regional Health Authority (90654402). The work of PH and EK was additionally supported by the Academy of Finland, Finnish Foundation for Pediatric Research and Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research. PH was also supported by Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, Alli Paasikivi Foundation and Emil Aaltonen Foundation. EK also received funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Finnish Medical Foundations (Duodecim and Finska Läkaresällskapet) and Finnish Diabetes Research Foundation. KAIE additionally received funding from the Joint Research Committee of St. Olavs Hospital HF and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The HeSVA and ESTER studies have been supported by Academy of Finland, Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, Foundation for Pediatric Research, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Juho Vainio Foundation, Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Finnish Diabetes Research Foundation, Jalmari and Rauha Ahokas Foundation and Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation. The HeSVA has also been supported by the Finnish Medical Foundation Duodecim and Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation. The New Zealand Very Low Birthweight Follow-up Study was funded by the New Zealand Health Research Council (12/129) with co-funding from Cure Kids charity, and additional funding from the Child Health Research Foundation (Cure Kids) (CHRF 5040, 5041). The NTNU Low Birth Weight in a Lifetime Perspective study was supported by the Research Council of Norway (213732), and the Joint Research Committee between St. Olavs Hospital and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, NTNU (46055600-2). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.