Are Low Birth-Weight Babies Prone to Lead Physically Inactive Lives?

Newswise — Researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit for Lifelong Health and Aging at University College London found that low-birth weight individuals (weighing no more than 5.5 pounds at birth) are less likely to be good at school sports and less likely or participate in exercise later in life. The scientists made this discovery by closely monitoring a group of British people, who had been born in the same week of March in 1946. Their information was obtained through the MRC National Survey for Health and Development. The investigators reported that their study is the first to show that birth weight relates to exercise behavior across adulthood and into later life, between ages 36 to 68 years. Given that babies born with a low birth weight now have an increased chance of survival into adulthood compared to babies born in 1946, these findings will be of greater public health importance for current and future generations. For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigators.