Children's physical activity can prevent tobacco smoking during adolescence

Children's physical activity can prevent tobacco smoking during adolescence

Adolescents may be less likely to initiate tobacco smoking if they start from childhood with moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), a new study conducted in collaboration between the Universities of Bristol and Exeter in the UK and the University of Eastern Finland shows and the University of Eastern Finland shows. The results were published in the Journal of Behavior Research and Therapy.

Childhood and teenage tobacco smoking is a strong preventable risk factor for premature structural and functional heart damage as early as the mid-twenties. Physical activity intervention studies have reported reduced smoking rates in adults. However, studies of physical activity to prevent smoking in children and adolescents have been inconclusive due to short study durations, small population sizes, and lack of physical activity data.

The present study is the largest and longest follow-up of accelerometer-based MVPA and smoking behavior in the world's young population. 2,503 children drawn from the University of Bristol's Children's 90s cohort were followed from ages 11 to 24. The prevalence of smoking at ages 13, 15, and 24 years was 1.5%, 13.5%, respectively. 26.6%.

At baseline, children spent six hours per day sedentary, six hours per day engaging in light physical activity, and approximately 55 minutes per day in MVPA. At follow-up in young adulthood, nine hours per day were spent sitting, three hours per day engaged in light physical activity, and approximately 50 minutes per day in MVPA. The fasting blood samples for children were also repeatedly measured for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, insulin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Blood pressure, heart rate, socioeconomic status, family history of cardiovascular disease, and fat mass and lean mass measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were considered in the analyses.

According to the study, 6 out of 1000 children who were involved in MVPA by the age of 11 had 60% of 13-year-olds who would have taken their first tobacco puff due to participation in MVPA from childhood.

A more modest preventive effect was observed later in follow-up. Continuous exposure to MVPA from childhood to young adulthood could prevent smoking in 8 per 1000 young adults when the prevalence of smoking was 266 per 1000 young adults.

Additionally, teens who were nonsmokers at ages 13 and 15 spent 15 minutes per day at age 24 compared to those who had a history of smoking at ages 13 and 15.

Childhood exposure was not prospectively associated with the risk of tobacco initiation and persistent smoking.

The MVPA-smoking preventive potential had strong causal consistency in all statistical models tested, but the effect diminished through young adulthood. It is all the more important that legislation protects young people from smoking tobacco and initiating nicotine use. “

Andrew Agbaje, Physician and Associate Professor (Lecturer) in Clinical Epidemiology and Child Health, University of Eastern Finland

“Smoking in adulthood is good but late, as a residual long-term risk of heart disease for the next thirty years still exists in adolescents, as the same active ingredient in both smoke and smokeless tobacco is nicotine,” concludes Agbaje.

Agbaje's research is supported by research grants from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation Central Fund, the Finnish Cultural Foundation North Savo Regional Fund, the Orion Research Foundation, the Aarne Koskelo Foundation, the Antti and Tyyne Soininen Foundation, the Paulo Foundation, the Paulo Foundation, the Aarne Koskelo Foundation, the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, the Paavo Nurmi Foundation, the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Ida Montin Foundation, Eino Räsänen Fund, Matti and Vappu Maukonen Fund, Foundation for Pediatric Research, Alfred Kordelin Foundation and Novo Nordisk Foundation.

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