Journal
BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE
Volume 53, Issue 8, Pages 496-+Publisher
BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097330
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Funding
- Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence [RES-590-28-0002]
- British Heart Foundation
- Department of Health
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Medical Research Council
- Wellcome Trust, under UK Clinical Research Collaboration
- Medical Research Council [MC_UU_12015/7]
- Gates Cambridge Scholarship
- ESRC [ES/G007462/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- MRC [MC_UU_12015/7, MR/K023187/1] Funding Source: UKRI
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Objective To systematically review and meta-analyse how physical activity (PA) changes from adolescence to early adulthood (13-30 years). Data sources Seven electronic databases were searched: Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, SCOPUS, ASSIA, SPORTdiscus and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies English-language, longitudinal studies (from 01/1980 to 01/2017) assessing PA >= twice, with the mean age of >= 1 measurement in adolescence (13-19 years) and >= 1 in young adulthood (16-30 years) were included. Where possible, data were converted to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) min/day, and meta-analyses were conducted between weighted mean differences (WMDs) in adolescence and adulthood. Heterogeneity was explored using meta-regression. Results Of 67 included studies, 49 were eligible for meta-analysis. PA was lower during adulthood than adolescence WMD (95% CI) -5.2 (-7.3 to -3.1) min/ day MVPA over mean (SD) 3.4 (2.6) years; heterogeneity was high (I2 > 99.0%), and no predictors explained this variation (all p> 0.05). When we restricted analysis to studies with data for males (n= 29) and females (n= 30) separately, there were slightly larger declines in WMD (-6.5 (-10.6 to -2.3) and -5.5 (-8.4 to -2.6) min/day MVPA) (both I2 > 99.0%). For studies with accelerometer data (n= 9), the decline was -7.4 (-11.6 to -3.1) and longer follow-up indicated more of a decline in WMD (95% CI) (-1.9 (-3.6 to -0.2) min/day MVPA), explaining 27.0% of between-study variation. Of 18 studies not eligible for meta-analysis, nine statistically tested change over time: seven showed a decline and two showed no change. Conclusion PA declines modestly between adolescence and young adulthood. More objective longitudinal PA data (eg, accelerometry) over this transition would be valuable, as would investigating how PA change is associated with contemporaneous social transitions to better inform PA promotion interventions.
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