ReviewEuropean journal of applied physiology2009
Seasonal variations in physical activity and implications for human health.
Review in European journal of applied physiology, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 78 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
78 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 170 citations in OpenAlex.
- Seasonal and monthly variation in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: a systematic review and meta‑analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Global Changes in Child and Adolescent Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA pediatrics · 2022Pooled it
- Seasonality and symptoms of depression: A systematic review of the literature.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2019Pooled it
- Comparison of psychometric properties between recall methods of interview-based physical activity questionnaires: a systematic review.BMC medical research methodology · 2019Pooled it
- Effects of health risk assessment and counselling on physical activity in older people: A pragmatic randomised trial.PloS one · 2017Trial
- Positive effects of 1-year football and strength training on mechanical muscle function and functional capacity in elderly men.European journal of applied physiology · 2016Trial
- Effects of outdoor temperature on changes in physiological variables before and after lunch in healthy women.International journal of biometeorology · 2014Trial
- An age-tailored intervention sustains physical activity changes in older adults: a randomized controlled trial.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2014Trial
- The effect of reminders in a web-based intervention study.European journal of epidemiology · 2012Trial
- Seasonality in Mortality and Health: Environmental and Demographic Perspectives.Environment & health (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Review
- Seasonal influences on DNA methylation at birth or at sampling time and their interaction with psychosis risk.Environmental epigenetics · 2026Article
- The ethnicity and gut microbiota hypothesis: analyzing multifactorial interactions and their health implications.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Seasonal Variations in Estimated Whole Blood Viscosity Associated with HbA1c: Evidence from Retrospective Pathology Review for Diabetes Management.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Observational
- Leveraging environmental information for enhanced prediction of cardiac readmissions.iScience · 2025Article
- Effect of Atmospheric Temperature Variations on Glycemic Patterns of Patients with Type 1 Diabetes: Analysis as a Function of Different Therapeutic Treatments.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Estimating the risk reduction in disability incidence by adhering to recommendation-based physical activity in older adults: a cohort study.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2025Article
- Sex Differences in Seasonal Variation in Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components: A 10-Year National Health Screening Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- An Analysis of the Factors Associated with the Seasonal Variability of Physical Activity in Natural Environments in a Sample of Lithuanian Adults.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Seasonal, weekly, and individual variations in long-term use of wearable medical devices for diabetes management.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Changes in Physical Activity, Heart Rate, and Sleep Measured by Activity Trackers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Across 34 Countries: Retrospective Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
18 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This review explores the implications of seasonal changes in physical activity for fitness and human health. Photosensitivity and nutrient shortages mediate animal hibernation via the hypothalamus and changes in leptin and ghrelin concentrations. Opportunities for hunting and crop cultivation determine seasonal activity in under-developed human societies, but in developed societies temperature and rainfall are dominant influences, usually over-riding innate rhythms. Both questionnaire data and objective measurements show that many groups from children to the elderly increase their physical activity from winter to spring or summer. Measurements of maximal oxygen intake and muscle strength commonly show parallel seasonal changes. However, potential effects upon body mass and body fat may be counteracted by changes of food intake; subsistence agriculturists sometimes maintain or increase physical activity at the expense of a decrease in body mass. In developed societies, body fat commonly increases during the winter, with parallel changes in blood lipids, blood pressure and blood coagulability; moreover, these changes are not always fully reversed the following summer. Most developed societies show increased all-cause and cardiac mortalities in the winter. Health consequences of seasonal variations in physical activity including an increased vulnerability to cardiac catastrophe and a year-by-year increase in total body fat seem most likely if the average level of physical activity for the year is low. Public health recommendations should underline the importance of maintaining physical activity during adverse environmental conditions by adapting clothing, modifying behaviour and exploiting any available air-conditioned indoor facilities.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.