Factors Associated with Exercise Lifestyle - A Study of Monozygotic Twins

Abstract

Regular exercise is widely advocated for a broad range of health issues. Yet, the association of familial factors (i. e. both genetic and childhood environmental factors) and specific environmental factors (not shared by family members) as well as health behavior with lifelong exercise participation is currently poorly understood. A total of 117 monozygotic male twin pairs aged 35 - 69 y (mean age 49 y), recruited from the population-based Finnish Twin Cohort, were studied. A summary outcome exercise variable was created by calculating the mean hours of exercise per week from 18 y of age to present from data provided from a structured interview. Suspected factors associated with exercise were analyzed with linear regression, while pairwise relationships were analysed using polychoric correlations and structural equation modeling. There was substantial familial aggregation in adulthood exercise, accounting for 43 % of all variation in exercise using the LISREL model. Factors associated with enhanced adherence to exercise in adulthood were participation in exercise and competitive sports in adolescence (from age 12 to 18). Education, age, number of chronic diseases, smoking, alcohol use, marital status, number of children and number of changes in residence were not associated with exercise adherence in adulthood. Our results suggest that early childhood environmental factors strongly influence exercise level throughout the lifespan. Therefore, interventions aimed at enhancing lifelong exercise participation may achieve more beneficial long-term results by targeting families and other childhood and adolescent environments.

Key words

Physical activity - sports - adherence - genetics - adolescence - adulthood

References

• 1 Aarnio M, Winter T, Kujala U M, Kaprio J. Familial aggregation of leisure-time physical activity - a three generation study.  Int J Sports Med. 1997;  18 549-556
• 2 Barnekow-Bergkvist M, Hedberg G, Janlert U, Jansson E. Prediction of physical fitness and physical activity level in adulthood by physical performance and physical activity in adolescence - An 18-year follow-up study.  Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1998;  8 299-308
• 3 Beunen G, Thomis M. Genetic determinants of sports participation and daily physical activity.  Int J Obes. 1999;  23 55-63
• 4 Boomsma D I, van den Bree M BM, Orlebeke J F, Molenaar P CM. Resemblances of parents and twins in sports participation and heart rate.  Behav Genet. 1989;  19 123-141
• 5 de Bourdeaudhuij I, van Oost P. A cluster-analytical approach toward physical activity and other health related behaviors.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1999;  31 605-612
• 6 Dennison B A, Straus J H, Mellits E D, Charney E. Childhood physical fitness tests: predictor of adult physical activity levels?.  Pediatrics. 1988;  82 324-330
• 7 Dishman R K, Sallis J F, Orenstein D R. The determinants of physical activity and exercise.  Public Health Rep. 1985;  100 158- 171
• 8 Dohm M R, Richardson C S, Garland T. Exercise physiology of wild and random-bred laboratory house mice and their reciprocal hybrids.  Am J Physiol. 1994;  267 1098-1108
• 9 Engström LM. The processs of socialization into keep-fit activities.  Scand J Sports Sci. 1986;  8 89-97
• 10 Erikssen G, Liestøl K, Bjørnholt J, Thaulow E, Sandvik L, Erikssen J. Changes in physical fitness and changes in mortality.  Lancet. 1998;  352 759-762
• 11 Fogelholm M, Nuutinen O, Pasanen M, Myöhänen E, Säätelä T. Parent-child relationship of physical activity patterns and obesity.  Int J Obes. 1999;  23 262-268
• 12 Freedson P S, Evenson S. Familial aggregation in physical activity.  Res Quart Exerc Sport. 1991;  62 384-389
• 13 Friedenreich C M, Courneya K S, Bryant H E. The lifetime total physical activity questionnaire: development and reliability.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998;  30 266-274
• 14 Glenmark B, Hedberg G, Jansson E. Prediction of physical activity level in adulthood by physical characteristics, physical performance and physical activity in adolescence. An 11-year follow-up study.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 1994;  69 530-538
• 15 Greendorfer S. Psychological correlates of organized physical activity.  J Phys Ed Rec Dance. 1987;  11 59-64
• 16 Heller R F, O’Connell D L, Roberts D CK, Allen J R, Knapp J C, Steele P L, Silove D. Lifestyle factors in monozygotic and dizygotic twins.  Genetic Epidemiol. 1988;  5 311-321
• 17 Jöreskog K G, Sörbom D. LISREL 8 User’s Reference Guide. Chicago; Scientific Software. Inc 1996a
• 18 Jöreskog K G, Sörbom D. Dag PRELIS 2 User’s Reference Guide:A Chicago; Scientific Software, Inc 1996b
• 19 Kaprio J, Koskenvuo M, Langinvainio H, Romanov K, Sarna S, Rose R J. Genetic influences on use and abuse of alcohol: A study of 5,638 adult Finnish twin brothers.  Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1987;  11 349-356
• 20 Kaprio J, Koskenvuo M, Sarna S. Cigarette smoking, use of alcohol, and leisure-time physical activity among same-sexed adult male twins. Twin Research 3: Epidemiological and clinical studies. New York: Alan R. Liss, Inc 1981: 37-46
• 21 Kelly M A, Rubinstein M, Phillips T J, Lessov C N, Burkhart-Kasch S, Zhang G, Bunzow J R, Fang Y, Gerhardt G A, Grandy D K, Low M J. Locomotor activity in D2 dopamine receptor-deficient mice is determined by gene dosage, genetic background, and developmental adaptations.  J Neurosci. 1998;  18 3470-3479
• 22 Kernie S G, Liebl D J, Parada L F. BDNF regulates eating behavior and locomotor activity in mice.  EMBO. 2000;  19 1290-1300
• 23 Koivusilta L, Rimpelä A, Rimpelä M. Health related lifestyle in adolescence predicts adult educational level: a longitudinal study from Finland.  J Epidemiol Comm Health. 1998;  52 794-801
• 24 Kriska A M, Bayles C, Cauley J A, LaPorte R E, Sandler R B, Pambianco G. A randomized exercise trial in older women: increased activity over two years and the factors associated with compliance.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1986;  18 557-562
• 25 Kuh D JL, Cooper C. Physical activity at 36 years: patterns and childhood predictors in a longitudinal study.  J Epidemiol Comm Health. 1992;  46 114-119
• 26 Lauderdale D S, Fabsitz R, Meyer J M, Sholinsky P, Ramakrishnan V, Goldberg J. Familial determinants of moderate and intense physical activity: a twin study.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1997;  29 1062-1068
• 27 Liang K Y, Zeger S. Longitudinal data analysis using generalized linear models.  Biometrika. 1986;  73 13-22
• 28 Neale M C, Cardon L R. Methodology for Genetic Studies of Twins and Families, NATO ASI Series. Dordrecht; Kluver 1992
• 29 Osborne K A, Robichon A, Burgess E, Butland S, Shaw R A, Coulthard A, Pereira H S, Greenspan R J, Sokolowski M B. Natural behavior polymorphism due to a cGMP-dependent protein kinase of Drosophila.  Science. 1997;  277 834-836
• 30 Pérusse L, Leblanc C, Bouchard C. Familial resemblance in lifestyle components: results from the Canada Fitness Survey.  Can J Public Health. 1988;  79 201-205
• 31 Pérusse L, Tremblay A, LeBlanc C, Bouchard C. Genetic and environmental influences on level of habitual physical activity and exercise participation.  Am J Epidemiol. 1989;  129 1012-1022
• 32 Plomin R, DeFries J C, McClearn G E, Rutter M. Behavioral genetics. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company 1997
• 33 Ransdell L B, Wells C L. Physical activity in urban white, African-American, and Mexican-American women.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998;  30 1608-1615
• 34 Ropponen A, Levälahti E, Simonen R L, Videman T, Battié M C. Repeatability of lifetime exercise reporting.  Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2001;  11 185-192
• 35 Sallis J F, Hovell M F, Hofstetter C R. Predictors of adoption and maintenance of vigorous physical activity in men and women.  Prev Med. 1992;  21 237-251
• 36 Sallis J F, Patterson T L, Buono M J, Atkins C J, Nader P R. Aggregation of physical activity habits in Mexican-American and Anglo families.  J Behav Med. 1988;  11 31-41
• 37 Sarna S, Kaprio J, Kujala U M, Koskenvuo M. Health status of former elite athletes. The Finnish experience.  Aging Clin Exp Res. 1997;  9 35-41
• 38 Shaver S A, Varnam C J, Hilliker A J, Sokolowski M B. The foraging gene affects adult but not larval olfactory-related behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.  Behav Brain Res. 1998;  95 23-29
• 39 Sherwood N E, Jeffery R W. The behavioral determinants of exercise: Implications for physical activity interventions.  Annu Rev Nutr. 2000;  20 21-44
• 40 Swallow J G, Garland T, Carter P A, Zhan WZ, Sieck G C. Effects of voluntary activity and genetic selection on aerobic capacity in house mice (Mus domesticus).  J Appl Physiol. 1998;  84 69-76
• 41 Telama R, Laakso L, Yang X, Viikari J. Physical activity in childhood and adolescence as predictor of physical activity in young adulthood.  Am J Prev Med. 1997;  13 317-323
• 42 Vanreusel B, Renson R, Beunen G, Claessens A L, Lefevre J, Lysens R, Eynde B V. A longitudinal study of youth sport participation and adherence to sport in adulthood.  Int Rev Soc Sport. 1997;  32 373-387
• 43 Videman T, Battié M C, Gill K, Manninen H, Gibbons L E, Fisher L D. MRI findings and their relationships in the thoracic and lumbar spine: insights into the etiopathogenesis of spinal degeneration.  Spine. 1995;  20 928-935
• 44 Vuolle P, Telama R, Laakso L. Physical activity in the life style of Finnish adults.  Scand J Spors Sci. 1986;  8 105-115
• 45 Wingard D L, Berkman L F, Brand R J. A multivariate analysis of health-related practices; a nine-year mortality follow-up of the Alameda Country Study.  Am J Epidemiol. 1982;  116 765-775