Distance of walking in childhood and femoral bone density in perimenopausal women

Kuopio osteoporosis risk factor and prevention (OSTPRE) study is a population-based study from Eastern Finland. At baseline in 1989–91, bone densitometry of lumbar spine and femoral neck as assessed by DXA was carried out on women aged 48–58 (n = 3,222). In 1993, menarcheal age and health habits during adolescence were inquired from a postal inquiry. In 1996, a random sample of 254 women who had been premenopausal at baseline was interviewed over phone. They were asked how many kilometers per day they had walked to school and back, in each grade of primary school. The study sample (N = 185) was formed by excluding women with menarcheal age of >14 or <11 years. Women with any reported HRT history were also excluded. The mean age of the study sample was 50.7 (1.63) years, weight 70.8 (13.1) kg, height 161.5 (5.0) cm, and mean walking distance to and fro from the school at ages from 9 to 11 years was 2.7 (1.7) km. In regression analysis, the walking distance was associated with femoral BMD (r = 0.18, P = 0.015). After adjusting for baseline age, weight and height, this association persisted (P = 0.025). When walking distance was categorized as I = 0–0.549 km, II = 0.55–1.99 km, III = 2.0–4.99 and IV = 5.0 km and more, the respective means for femoral BMDs were 0.92, 0.97, 0.98 and 1.01 g/cm². Statistical significance persisted after adjusting for height, weight, age, grip strength, calcium intake, smoking, place of residence, use of contraceptive pills, physical load of work and baseline physical activity (P = 0.032). A 10 year follow-up revealed no changes in bone loss rate between the groups and femoral BMD benefits persisted (repeated measures analysis = NS). Walking distance was not associated with spinal bone density. Even though walking is a low impact activity, walking before menarche may have a moderate but long-lasting positive effect on femoral peak bone density. Lack of walking and similar low impact physical activities during peak growth years may have a negative effect on peak bone mass formation.