Influences of exercise habits during growth period and in college on changes in bone mass of female college students

A longitudinal study

Abstract

To prevent osteoporosis, maintenance of the perk bone mass (PBM) is important, and exercise is beneficial for this. However, in recent years, a decrease in the daily physical activities of young females has become a concern. Therefore, we performed a longitudinal study of the influences of exercise habits in the past and in college on changes in the bone mass of female college students. The subjects consisted of 134 female college students aged 19.22±0.29 years. Bone mass parameters were annually measured in the right calcaneus using the ultrasound bone densitometry (A-1000 EXPRESS, Lunar Co., USA). As a result, the calcaneus Stiffness value was higher in the group with than in that without past exercise habits in the first investigation year and after 1 and 2 years (p<0.01, 0.01, and 0.05, respectively). Concerning changes in Stiffness, a significant decrease was observed in the group with past exercise habits (p<0.001). However, students with exercise habits both in the past and after entering college showed the maintenance of Stiffness. These results suggest the usefulness of exercise for maintaining bone mass.