Faculty of Education, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Faculty of Sciences for Physical Activity and Sport (INEF), Polytechnic University of Madrid, C/Martín Fierro, 7, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
Sports Med. 2024 Jul;54(7):1907-1919. doi: 10.1007/s40279-024-02026-z. Epub 2024 May 6.
Preterm birth and low birthweight (LBW) might be associated with reduced physical fitness, although evidence remains inconclusive.
To examine the influence of preterm birth and LBW on physical fitness, as well as to assess whether variables such as gestational age, birthweight, or age at assessment moderate these effects.
PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO were systematically searched from inception to 7 December 2023 for case-control and cohort studies analyzing the association between preterm birth or LBW (or gestational age or birthweight as continuous variables) with at least one physical fitness-related outcome (i.e., cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), muscle strength, flexibility, speed, agility). Random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression models were used to estimate the pooled effect size, as well as to examine potential associations between the magnitude of the effect and gestational age, birthweight, or age at assessment.
Fifty-two studies (n = 920,603 participants, average age ranging from 4.7 to 34.4 years) were included. Preterm birth was associated with reduced CRF (standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.51 to -0.25) and muscle strength (SMD = -0.44, 95% CI = -0.79 to -0.08). LBW was associated with reduced CRF (SMD = -0.40, 95% CI = -0.64 to -0.17), muscle strength (SMD = -0.18, 95% CI = -0.24 to -0.13), flexibility (SMD = -0.11, 95% CI = -0.22 to -0.01), and agility (SMD = -0.99, 95% CI = -1.91 to -0.07). Meta-regression analyses showed that a lower gestational age or birthweight were associated with larger reductions in physical fitness, whereas no consistent association was found for the age at assessment.
Both preterm birth and LBW seem associated with reduced physical fitness regardless of age, with larger reductions overall observed in individuals with lower gestational age or birthweight. These findings might support the implementation of preventive strategies (e.g., fitness monitoring and physical exercise interventions) in these populations through the life course. PROSPERO registration: CRD42021231845.
早产和低出生体重（LBW）可能与身体适应性降低有关，但证据仍不明确。
探讨早产和 LBW 对身体适应性的影响，并评估胎龄、出生体重或评估年龄等变量是否调节这些影响。
系统检索 PubMed、Scopus 和 PsycINFO 数据库，从建库至 2023 年 12 月 7 日，收集分析早产或 LBW（或胎龄或出生体重作为连续变量）与至少一项身体适应性相关结局（即心肺适应性（CRF）、肌肉力量、柔韧性、速度、敏捷性）之间关联的病例对照和队列研究。采用随机效应荟萃分析和荟萃回归模型来估计合并效应大小，并探讨效应大小与胎龄、出生体重或评估年龄之间的潜在关联。
纳入 52 项研究（n=920603 名参与者，平均年龄 4.7 至 34.4 岁）。早产与 CRF（标准化均数差（SMD）=-0.38，95%置信区间（CI）=-0.51 至 -0.25）和肌肉力量（SMD=-0.44，95%CI=-0.79 至 -0.08）降低相关。LBW 与 CRF（SMD=-0.40，95%CI=-0.64 至 -0.17）、肌肉力量（SMD=-0.18，95%CI=-0.24 至 -0.13）、柔韧性（SMD=-0.11，95%CI=-0.22 至 -0.01）和敏捷性（SMD=-0.99，95%CI=-1.91 至 -0.07）降低相关。荟萃回归分析显示，胎龄或出生体重越低，身体适应性降低幅度越大，而评估年龄无一致相关性。
无论年龄大小，早产和 LBW 似乎都与身体适应性降低有关，胎龄或出生体重较低的个体总体上降低幅度更大。这些发现可能支持在生命全程中为这些人群实施预防策略（例如，适应性监测和身体锻炼干预）。PROSPERO 注册号：CRD42021231845。
