Adolescence physical activity is associated with higher tibial pQCT bone values in adulthood after 28-years of follow-up — The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

article i nfo High peak bone mass and strong bone phenotype are known to be partly explained by physical activity dur- ing growth but there are few prospective studies on this topic. In this 28-year follow-up of Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study cohort, we assessed whether habitual childhood and adolescence physical activ- ity or inactivity at the age of 3-18 years were associated with adult phenotype of weight-bearing tibia and the risk of low-energy fractures. Baseline physical activity and data on clinical, nutritional and lifestyle fac- tors were assessed separately for females and males aged 3-6-years (N = 395-421) and 9-18-years (N = 923-965). At the age of 31-46-years, the prevalence of low-energy fractures was assessed with a question- naire and several tibialtraits weremeasured with pQCT(bonemineral content (BMC; mg), total and cortical cross-sectional areas (mm 2 ), trabecular (for the distal site only) and cortical (for the shaft only) bone den-