A physically active lifestyle and a diet rich in vegetables and fruits
have a central role in promoting health. This study examined the
associations between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) trajectories
and fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC) from childhood to middle age.
The data were drawn from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
with six age cohorts. Participants were 9 to 18 years (n = 3536;
51% females) at baseline in 1980 and 33 to 48 years at the last
follow-up in 2011. LTPA and FVC were self-reported. LTPA trajectories
were identified using latent profile analyses, after which the mean
differences in FVC across the trajectories were studied. Active,
low-active, decreasingly and increasingly active trajectories were
identified for both genders. An additional trajectory describing
inactivity was identified for females. Those who were persistently
active or increased their LTPA had higher FVC at many ages when compared
to their inactive or low-active counterparts (p < 0.05). In
females prior to age 42 and in males prior to age 24, FVC was higher at
many ages in those with decreasing activity than in their inactive or
low-active counterparts (p < 0.05). The development of LTPA and FVC from childhood to middle age seem to occur in tandem.