Effects of Physical Activity Status on Bone Health in College Aged Students
Camila Vinha
Objective: To evaluate the relationship between physical activity and bone health in college students, ages 18-24 years.
Methods: Data were collected between 2012-19 as part of the on-going College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey. Physical activity was self-reported by students via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and ultrasonography was used to evaluate bone density. After stratifying by gender, bone ultrasound attenuation (BUA) differences between activity levels were analyzed via ANCOVA using age, BMI, calcium, vitamin D, protein, and alcohol intake as covariates. Chi2 analyses were used to compare differences between IPAQ scoring ranges and BUA z-score categories.
Results: Based on mean BUA z-score of the calcaneus bones, 4.3% of men and 1.4% of women were classified as osteoporotic risk, while 31.7% of men and 33.9% of women were at osteopenia risk. Out of 1260 men, 14.7%, 32.6, and 52.7% were in the insufficient, minimal, and health enhancing physical activity (HEPA) categories, respectively. Out of 2560 women, 20%, 46.5%, and 33.5% were in the insufficient, minimal, and health enhancing physical activity categories, respectively. In men, both minimal and Health Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) categories had higher BUA than those who were insufficiently active (90.8.9 and 92.5.7, vs. 86.31.3; p=.017, p<.0001). In women, those in the HEPA category had higher BUA than the insufficient and minimal categories ((82.5.6 vs. 79.1.7 and 79.7.5; both p=.001).
Conclusion: In this sample of college students, increased physical activity was associated with increased bone density in both men and women. These findings may be helpful for future research in examining the impact of physical activity on bone density in young adults.
Funding Source: New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Station and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project 1010738.
