Size at birth and its relation to muscle strength in young adult women
Size at birth and its relation to muscle strength in young adult women
Objective: to assess the relationship between development
in utero, assessed by birth weight, and muscle
strength in young adult women as assessed by grip
strength.
Methods: a total of 1563 participants aged 20–
40 years in the Southampton Women’s Survey had
their grip strength measured during pregnancy. At
recruitment to the survey the women had been asked
to recall their birth weight or obtain it from their parents.
For 536 women born in Southampton, birth
weight was obtained from hospital records. Grip
strength was related to birth weight using multiple
linear regression analysis, adjusting for age, height,
weight and reported physical activity.
Results: grip strength increased with age, height,
weight, physical activity and birth weight. In the
mutually-adjusted model, grip strength increased by
1.10 kg per kilogram of birth weight (95% CI:
0.58–1.61 kg). In women with hospital birth
weight data the relationship strengthened to 1.44 kg
per kilogram of birth weight (95% CI: 0.50–
2.38 kg).
Conclusions: grip strength in women in their twenties
and thirties is at or approaching its peak. The
association between grip strength and birth weight
was remarkably similar to findings from other studies
of women at younger and older ages. This
indicates that in utero development has consequences
for muscle strength throughout the life
course, even allowing for the increase to peak
muscle strength and then its decline as a woman
ages.
368-374
Inskip, H.M.
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7
Godfrey, K.M.
0931701e-fe2c-44b5-8f0d-ec5c7477a6fd
Martin, H.J
c1e2a8dd-e10c-4c89-9f79-fe350d497573
Simmonds, S.J.
f29ed27c-48d3-4a1e-a362-2f38551aa4fc
Cooper, C.
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Aihie Sayer, A.
fb4c2053-6d51-4fc1-9489-c3cb431b0ffb
The Southampton Women's Survey Study Group
2007
Inskip, H.M.
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7
Godfrey, K.M.
0931701e-fe2c-44b5-8f0d-ec5c7477a6fd
Martin, H.J
c1e2a8dd-e10c-4c89-9f79-fe350d497573
Simmonds, S.J.
f29ed27c-48d3-4a1e-a362-2f38551aa4fc
Cooper, C.
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Aihie Sayer, A.
fb4c2053-6d51-4fc1-9489-c3cb431b0ffb
Inskip, H.M., Godfrey, K.M., Martin, H.J, Simmonds, S.J., Cooper, C. and Aihie Sayer, A.
,
The Southampton Women's Survey Study Group
(2007)
Size at birth and its relation to muscle strength in young adult women.
Journal of Internal Medicine, 262 (3), .
(doi:10.1111/j.1365-2796.2007.01812.x).
Abstract
Objective: to assess the relationship between development
in utero, assessed by birth weight, and muscle
strength in young adult women as assessed by grip
strength.
Methods: a total of 1563 participants aged 20–
40 years in the Southampton Women’s Survey had
their grip strength measured during pregnancy. At
recruitment to the survey the women had been asked
to recall their birth weight or obtain it from their parents.
For 536 women born in Southampton, birth
weight was obtained from hospital records. Grip
strength was related to birth weight using multiple
linear regression analysis, adjusting for age, height,
weight and reported physical activity.
Results: grip strength increased with age, height,
weight, physical activity and birth weight. In the
mutually-adjusted model, grip strength increased by
1.10 kg per kilogram of birth weight (95% CI:
0.58–1.61 kg). In women with hospital birth
weight data the relationship strengthened to 1.44 kg
per kilogram of birth weight (95% CI: 0.50–
2.38 kg).
Conclusions: grip strength in women in their twenties
and thirties is at or approaching its peak. The
association between grip strength and birth weight
was remarkably similar to findings from other studies
of women at younger and older ages. This
indicates that in utero development has consequences
for muscle strength throughout the life
course, even allowing for the increase to peak
muscle strength and then its decline as a woman
ages.
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Published date: 2007
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 44209
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/44209
ISSN: 0954-6820
PURE UUID: 5b35b1d8-9837-4f92-971d-4c7c90d4ba92
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Date deposited: 21 Feb 2007
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 02:44
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Contributors
Author:
H.J Martin
Author:
S.J. Simmonds
Author:
A. Aihie Sayer
Corporate Author: The Southampton Women's Survey Study Group
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