Is There an Association Between Physical Activity and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Adolescent Girls? Results from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children

Overview

Journal Int Urogynecol J

Publisher Springer

Specialties Gynecology & Obstetrics
Urology

Date 2023 Sep 16

PMID 37715786

Authors

Colleen M Fitzgerald

Shayna D Cunningham

Amanda Berry

Sheila Gahagan

Carol Joinson

Sarah Lindberg

Diane K Newman

Kathryn H Schmitz

Ariana L Smith

Siobhan Sutcliffe

David A Shoham

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction And Hypothesis: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are common among adolescent girls. Physical activity (PA) has been implicated as both a risk (high-impact PA) and protective factor (low-impact, moderate to vigorous intensity PA) for LUTS in adult women, but its role in adolescent girls is unclear. This study investigated the prospective association between physical activity and LUTS risk in adolescent girls.

Methods: The sample comprised 3,484 female participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine daily minutes of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) at ages 11 and 15 years in relation to LUTS at ages 14 and 19 respectively. MVPA was assessed by 7-day accelerometer data. LUTS were assessed by questionnaire. MVPA were analyzed as continuous (minutes/day) and categorical variables (<10th percentile, 10-89th percentile, ≥90th percentile).

Results: Prevalence of LUTS ranged from 2.0% for bedwetting to 9.5% for nocturia at age 14 and from 2.0% for straining to urinate to 35.5% for interrupted urine flow at age 19. Physical activity was not associated with LUTS at either time-point.

Conclusions: Given the prevalence of LUTS in female adolescent populations, although this study did not find an association with accelerometer-measured MVPA, other aspects of PA that may serve as risk or protective factors deserve investigation.

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