Physical activity and respiratory symptoms in children: The generation R study

Background: To assess the relationship between physical activity in second year of life and respiratory symptoms during the pre-school period. Methods: This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a large prospective birth-cohort study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Physical activity was measured in the second year of life by an Actigraph accelerometer in a subgroup of 347 children (182 boys, 165 girls; mean age 25.1 months) and data were expressed as counts per 15sec in categories: light activity (302-614counts/15sec), moderate activity (615-1,230counts/15sec), and vigorous activity (≥1,231counts/15sec). Respiratory symptoms were assessed by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood Questionnaire in the third and fourth year of life. Results: Physical activity levels were not associated with wheezing symptoms in the third and fourth year of life (OR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.92-1.05 and OR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.92-1.07 for total activity, respectively), nor associated with shortness of breath symptoms (OR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.92-1.05 and OR 1.03; 95% CI: 0.96-1.11 for total activity, respectively). Conclusion: These results suggest that physical activity may not play an important role in the development of respiratory symptoms in pre-school children.

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