RESEARCH ARTICLE


Physical Activity and Body Composition: A 20-Month Prospective Study of Middle-Age Women



Travis R. Peterson1, *, Larry A. Tucker2
1 Health Science Dept., University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, 1420 Austin Bluffs Pky, Colorado Springs, Colorado
2 Department of Exercise Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

Article Information


Identifiers and Pagination:

Year: 2008
Volume: 1
First Page: 38
Last Page: 44
Publisher ID: TOSSJ-1-38
DOI: 10.2174/1875399X00801010038

Article History:

Received Date: 03/07/2008
Revision Received Date: 30/09/2008
Acceptance Date: 30/09/2008
Electronic publication date: 17/11/2008
Collection year: 2008

Article Metrics

CrossRef Citations:
0
Total Statistics:

Full-Text HTML Views: 480
Abstract HTML Views: 659
PDF Downloads: 386
Total Views/Downloads: 1525
Unique Statistics:

Full-Text HTML Views: 248
Abstract HTML Views: 380
PDF Downloads: 244
Total Views/Downloads: 872



Creative Commons License
© 2008 Peterson et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Health Science Dept., University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, PO Box 7150, Colorado Springs, CO 80933; Tel: 719-262-4466; Fax: 719-262-4416; E-mail: tpeterso@uccs.edu


Abstract

Objective:

To determine the extent that physical activity accounts for changes in body composition and body weight over time, independent of dietary intake and other potential confounding factors.

Methods and Procedures:

A cohort of 256 women ages 35-45 at baseline participated in the study. A prospective design was utilized with baseline and follow up assessments 20-months apart. Primary assessments included body weight, body fat percentage, physical activity assessed by accelerometery, and 7-day weighed diet record. Regression analysis was used to determine the extent to which changes in physical activity contributed to changes in body fat percentage and body weight over the study period. Relative risk for change in body fat and weight was calculated using Poisson regression.

Results:

Over the study period, there were significant changes in body fat percentage, body weight and physical activity. Change in physical activity was a significant predictor of changes in body fat and body weight over the 20-month study period. The impact of change in physical activity on body weight remained significant after controlling for dietary intake and other potential confounding variables. Those in the lower levels of physical activity also had an increased risk of both weight and fat gain over the study period.

Discussion:

Based on these results, change in physical activity status is an independent predictor of body fat and body weight change over time. Those who are less active also have increased risk of weight and fat gain over time independent of dietary factors.

Keywords: Physical activity, Body composition, Weight change, Accelerometers, Prospective design, Energy intake.