Gestational age and device-measured physical activity in adolescents and adults: A linkage of the HUNT Study and Medical Birth Registry
8 affiliations
- 1Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- 2St. Olavs hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
- 3Clinical Medicine Research Unit Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- 4Public Health Promotion Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
- 5Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- 6Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- 7Children’s Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- 8Department of Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway
Abstract
There is limited knowledge of the relationship between gestational age and physical activity assessed by accelerometers in population-based cohort studies. We examined how gestational age predicts physical activity among adolescents and adults. Data from 12 896 participants (13–52 years) with physical activity assessed by two tri-axial accelerometers for seven days in the population-based Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT Study) were linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Metabolic equivalent of task (MET) min/day and min/day in total, moderate to vigorous, and light physical activity were calculated. Effects of gestational age (in weeks) and birth weight (in grams) on physical activity were modelled using fractional polynomials and linear regression. Gestational age predicted MET min/day in light physical activity (B = 1.53, 95% CI: 0.02 to 3.07) in the total sample, especially among females (B = 2.14, 95% CI: 0.33 to 3.93), and in total physical activity among adolescents (B = 2.44, 95% CI: 0.16 to 4.88). Gestational age predicted min/day in total physical activity in the total sample (B = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.07 to 1.90), among females (B = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.11 to 2.40) and adolescents (B = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.02 to 2.12). There were no non-linear or linear effects of birth weight on physical activity. Shorter gestation predicted less physical activity in the total sample, among females, and in adolescents. The associations with total physical activity are by and large consistent with previous observations that individuals born preterm with very low birth weight have lower rates of physical activity.
Related
- Questionable mediated effect of physical activity on music performance anxiety: A reanalysis of Liu et al. (2026)
- Questionable mediated effect of physical activity on smartphone addiction: A comment on Fu and Wang (2026)
- Protocol for an Observational Study on the Effects of Adolescent Physical Activity and Sports Participation on Flourishing and Academic Engagement
- Causal DAG-Guided Reinforcement Learning for Long-Term Physical Activity Maintenance: Using Prior Data to Inform Future Deployment
- Beyond the Mean: A Two-Stage GAMLSS Framework for Physical Activity Bout Patterns and Survival in COPD
BibTeX
@article{aakvik2026gestational,
title = {{Gestational age and device-measured physical activity in adolescents and adults: A linkage of the HUNT Study and Medical Birth Registry}},
author = {Kristina Anna Djupvik Aakvik and Silje Dahl Benum and Marjaana Tikanmäki and Stian Lydersen and Atle Kongsvold and Paul Jarle Mork and Eero Kajantie and Kari Anne I. Evensen},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0357277},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357277},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gestational age and device-measured physical activity in adolescents and adults: A linkage of the HUNT Study and Medical Birth Registry
AU - Kristina Anna Djupvik Aakvik
AU - Silje Dahl Benum
AU - Marjaana Tikanmäki
AU - Stian Lydersen
AU - Atle Kongsvold
AU - Paul Jarle Mork
AU - Eero Kajantie
AU - Kari Anne I. Evensen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0357277
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357277
AB - There is limited knowledge of the relationship between gestational age and physical activity assessed by accelerometers in population-based cohort studies. We examined how gestational age predicts physical activity among adolescents and adults. Data from 12 896 participants (13–52 years) with physical activity assessed by two tri-axial accelerometers for seven days in the population-based Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT Study) were linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Metabolic equivalent of task (MET) min/day and min/day in total, moderate to vigorous, and light physical activity were calculated. Effects of gestational age (in weeks) and birth weight (in grams) on physical activity were modelled using fractional polynomials and linear regression. Gestational age predicted MET min/day in light physical activity (B = 1.53, 95% CI: 0.02 to 3.07) in the total sample, especially among females (B = 2.14, 95% CI: 0.33 to 3.93), and in total physical activity among adolescents (B = 2.44, 95% CI: 0.16 to 4.88). Gestational age predicted min/day in total physical activity in the total sample (B = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.07 to 1.90), among females (B = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.11 to 2.40) and adolescents (B = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.02 to 2.12). There were no non-linear or linear effects of birth weight on physical activity. Shorter gestation predicted less physical activity in the total sample, among females, and in adolescents. The associations with total physical activity are by and large consistent with previous observations that individuals born preterm with very low birth weight have lower rates of physical activity.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -