Associations Between Major Life Changes and Pedometer-Determined Physical Activity Over 4 Years in Middle-Aged Adults in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
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Background: To examine if major life changes over a 4-year period among 34- to 49-year-old adults (mean = 41.8, SD = 5.0) were associated with a change in physical activity in men (37.7%) and women (62.3%). Methods: Daily steps and aerobic steps (steps that lasted for at least 10 min without interruption at a pace of >60 steps/min) were collected from 1051 participants in 2007 and 2011. Changes in marital status, work status, and residence and the birth of a child were determined from both time points. A latent change score model was used to examine mean changes in daily total steps, aerobic steps, and nonaerobic steps (total steps minus aerobic steps). Results: Women who had a first child in the 4-year period had a decrease in their nonaerobic steps (P = .001). Men who divorced in the 4-year period had a decrease in their nonaerobic steps (P = .020), whereas women who recoupled decreased their total steps (P = .030). Conclusions: Counseling for parents having a first child on how to increase physical activity in their everyday life could potentially have an influence on an individual’s physical activity.
Salin, Telama, and Hirvensalo are with the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland. Kankaanpää, Yang, and Tammelin are with the LIKES—Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health, Jyväskylä, Finland. Magnussen, Viikari, and Raitakari are with the Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine and Departments of Clinical Physiology and Internal Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland. Magnussen is also with the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. Hutri-Kähönen is with the Department of Pediatrics, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
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