Timing of the decline in physical activity in childhood and adolescence: gateshead millennium cohort study
Open accessAbstract
Background and aim: There is a widely held and influential view that physical activity begins to decline at adolescence. This study aimed to identify the timing of changes in physical activity during childhood and adolescence. Methods: Longitudinal cohort study (Gateshead Millennium Study) with 8 years of follow-up, from North-East England. Cohort members comprise a socioeconomically representative sample studied at ages 7, 9, 12 and 15 years; 545 individuals provided physical activity data at two or more time points. Habitual total volume of physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) were quantified objectively using the Actigraph accelerometer over 5–7 days at the four time points. Linear mixed models identified the timing of changes in physical activity across the 8-year period, and trajectory analysis was used to identify subgroups with distinct patterns of age-related changes. Results: Four trajectories of change in total volume of physical activity were identified representing 100% of all participants: all trajectories declined from age 7 years. There was no evidence that physical activity decline began at adolescence, or that adolescent declines in physical activity were substantially greater than the declines during childhood, or greater in girls than boys. One group (19% of boys) had relatively high MVPA which remained stable between ages 7 and15 years. Conclusions: Future policy and research efforts to promote physical activity should begin well before adolescence, and should include both boys and girls.
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
In the Gateshead Millennium Study, objectively measured physical activity was already declining by age 7 years in both boys and girls, with no evidence that the decline began or accelerated specifically at adolescence. The findings challenge the orthodox focus on adolescent girls as the main high-risk group for low physical activity.
Key findings
- Total physical activity declined from age 7 years in all identified trajectories: boys had three distinct trajectories and girls had one, together representing 100% of participants; no trajectory showed high childhood levels followed by a sharp adolescent decline.
- Mean total physical activity fell from 780 cpm at age 7 to 482 cpm at age 15 in boys, and from 746 cpm to 400 cpm in girls; MVPA fell from 75.5 to 51.4 min/day in boys and from 63.4 to 41.0 min/day in girls.
- MVPA trajectories were more complex: in boys, 3% had low and relatively stable/slowly declining MVPA, 17% had initially high but rapidly declining MVPA, 61% declined gradually, and 19% had relatively high and stable or increasing MVPA; in girls, 19% had low and relatively stable/modest declines, 62% declined gradually, and 19% had high initial MVPA with steeper declines.
- There was no evidence that physical activity decline began at adolescence, was substantially greater during adolescence than childhood, or was greater in girls than boys.
Methods
- Longitudinal cohort study (Gateshead Millennium Study) in North-East England, with follow-up at ages 7, 9, 12 and 15 years; 545 individuals provided physical activity data at two or more time points, and 217 at all four time points.
- Habitual total physical activity and MVPA were measured objectively with Actigraph GT1M accelerometers over 5–7 days at each time point; MVPA used a cut-point of 574 counts per 15 s, with a +9% correction applied to raw data, and age-15 data adjusted for season.
- Linear mixed models in SPSS described age-related changes; group-based trajectory modelling in STATA (Traj module) identified distinct trajectories, modelled separately for boys and girls using BIC and posterior probabilities.
Limitations
- The paper states that generalisability may be limited to populations with substantially different physical, social and/or policy environments; it also states that why changes occur was beyond scope, direct biological measures such as pubertal maturation were unavailable, the 3% boys subgroup needs confirmation in other populations, and measurement timing was largely determined by funding availability.
- Evident from the text: sample size declined across time points (431 at age 7 to 278 at age 15), and accelerometry excluded water-based activities, so some activity may be unmeasured.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
0 of 24 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged
- Findingown data
There was no evidence that adolescent declines in physical activity were greater in girls than boys.
“There was no evidence that physical activity decline began at adolescence, or that adolescent declines in physical activity were substantially greater than the declines during childhood, or greater in girls than boys.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
None of the trajectories of MVPA in either boys or girls were characterised by high and stable childhood values followed by sharp adolescent declines.
“None of the trajectories of MVPA in either boys or girls were characterised by high and stable childhood values followed by sharp adolescent declines.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
In boys, four distinct MVPA trajectories were identified.
“In boys, four distinct subgroups were identified: low and relatively stable/slowly declining MVPA from age 7 years across the 8 years (3% of the sample); initially high at age 7 years, but rapidly declining from age 7 years (17% of the sample); gradually declining from age 7 years (61% of the sample); relatively high and stable or increasing from age 7 years (19% of the sample).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Four trajectories of change in total volume of physical activity were identified, representing 100% of all participants.
“Four trajectories of change in total volume of physical activity were identified representing 100% of all participants: all trajectories declined from age 7 years.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
One group (19% of boys) had relatively high MVPA which remained stable between ages 7 and 15 years.
“One group (19% of boys) had relatively high MVPA which remained stable between ages 7 and15 years.”
- Also stated in: § Main study findings and implications · hedged
“in around 19% of boys MVPA was relatively high and fairly stable across the 8-year period.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Also stated in: § Main study findings and implications · hedged
- Findingown data
None of the trajectories of total volume of physical activity showed initial high levels followed by sharp adolescent declines.
“None of the trajectories of total volume of physical activity showed initial high levels followed by sharp adolescent declines.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
There was no evidence that adolescent declines in physical activity were substantially greater than declines during childhood.
“There was no evidence that physical activity decline began at adolescence, or that adolescent declines in physical activity were substantially greater than the declines during childhood, or greater in girls than boys.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
All trajectories of total volume of physical activity declined from age 7 years.
“Four trajectories of change in total volume of physical activity were identified representing 100% of all participants: all trajectories declined from age 7 years.”
- Also stated in: § Changes in physical activity analysed longitudinally using trajectory analysis · plain
“in all three subgroups, representing 100% of the sample, the total volume of physical activity declined across the 8-year period from age 7 years; in the girls a single trajectory of declining total physical activity across the 8-year period from age 7 years characterised all study participants.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § Changes in physical activity analysed longitudinally using trajectory analysis · plain
- Findingown data
In girls, a single trajectory of declining total physical activity across the 8-year period from age 7 years characterised all study participants.
“in the girls a single trajectory of declining total physical activity across the 8-year period from age 7 years characterised all study participants.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
In girls, three distinct MVPA trajectories were identified.
“Three distinct trajectories were identified: low and relatively stable/with modest declines (19%); gradually declining from age 7 years (62%); high initial MVPA with steeper declines from age 7 years (19%).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
In boys, three distinct trajectories of total volume of physical activity were identified.
“in the boys three distinct trajectories were identified, but in all three subgroups, representing 100% of the sample, the total volume of physical activity declined across the 8-year period from age 7 years”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
There was no evidence that physical activity decline began at adolescence.
“There was no evidence that physical activity decline began at adolescence, or that adolescent declines in physical activity were substantially greater than the declines during childhood, or greater in girls than boys.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data
Much of the current UK and international policy and practice in physical activity, based on the orthodox view, is not evidence-based.
“The present study therefore suggests that much of the current UK and international policy and practice in this area, based on the orthodox view, is not evidence-based.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Study design and conductcitation
The study sample was socioeconomically representative.
“The main strengths of the present study were the longitudinal design, the high quality objective measures of physical activity, the socioeconomically representative sample and the contemporary nature of the cohort.”
- Also stated in: § Participants, recruitment, consent and study design · plain
“the sample was socioeconomically representative of the north-east of England.15”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [15] source
Not checked in the free run.
- Also stated in: § Participants, recruitment, consent and study design · plain
- Interpretationown data
Physical activity is in decline in most individuals of both sexes by age 6-7 years in the UK.
“The present study suggests that physical activity is in decline in most individuals of both sexes by age 6–7 years in the UK.”
- Also stated in: § Main study findings and implications · hedged
“The present study suggests that total volume of physical activity is already declining by age 7 years in the UK.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: The Gateshead Millennium Study cohort is representative of the UK population.
- Also stated in: § Main study findings and implications · hedged
- Study design and conductreasoning
The accuracy of reported levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour and changes over the 2-year period is increased by accelerometry and the longitudinal design and analyses used by the study.
“the accuracy of both the reported levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour and the changes in levels over the 2-year period is increased by the use of accelerometry and the longitudinal design and analyses used by the study.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisenone given
There is currently very little high-quality longitudinal evidence on the timing of changes in physical activity across childhood and adolescence in contemporary cohorts.
“there is currently very little high-quality longitudinal evidence on the timing of changes in physical activity across childhood and adolescence in contemporary cohorts.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation
The Actigraph GT1M model has a consistent bias of 9% relative to model 7164.
“the more recent Actigraph GT1M model has a consistent bias of 9% relative to model 7164,24”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [24] Corder, 2007, Comparison of two Actigraph models for assessing free-living physical activity in Indian adolescents, J Sports Sci source
Not checked in the free run.
- Study design and conductcitation
The sample size was similar to or larger than most previous studies with two measures of physical activity.
“the sample size was similar to or larger than most previous studies with two measures of physical activity.9 14”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked - Premisecitation
Data from the Iowa Bone Development Study were consistent with the present study in suggesting that total volume of physical activity declined either steadily or dramatically from age 5 years in >70% of participants.
“Data from the Iowa Bone Development Study were consistent with the present study in suggesting that total volume of physical activity declined either steadily or dramatically from age 5 years in >70% of participants.14”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [14] Kwon, 2015, Developmental trajectories of physical activity, sports, and television viewing during childhood to young adulthood: Iowa bone development study, JAMA Pediatr source
Not checked in the free run.
- Study design and conductcitation
The cut-point of 574 counts per 15 s has acceptable classification accuracy.
“the cut-point of 574 counts per 15 s was used22 and it has acceptable classification accuracy.23”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
- May combine two claims. 10
- Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 11
May combine two claims.
Interpretationown dataThe study's findings are inconsistent with the orthodox view that physical activity begins to decline at adolescence, declines much more rapidly at adolescence, and/or declines much more rapidly in adolescent girls than boys.
“The present study found that 100% of boys and girls fitted into longitudinal trajectories which were inconsistent with the orthodox view that physical activity begins to decline at adolescence, declines much more rapidly at adolescence and/or declines much more rapidly in adolescent girls than boys.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing).
Interpretationnone givenThe findings may not be generalisable to populations with substantially different physical, social and/or policy environments.
“One weakness may be generalisability to populations with substantially different physical, social and/or policy environments.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductnone givenThe study used high quality objective measures of physical activity.
“The main strengths of the present study were the longitudinal design, the high quality objective measures of physical activity, the socioeconomically representative sample and the contemporary nature of the cohort.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim.
Study design and conductreasoningThe study had a longitudinal design.
“The main strengths of the present study were the longitudinal design, the high quality objective measures of physical activity, the socioeconomically representative sample and the contemporary nature of the cohort.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim.
Interpretationown dataThe study questions the concept of the adolescent girl as a priority for research and policy effort in physical activity.
“The study questions the concept of the adolescent girl as a priority for research and policy effort in physical activity.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Study design and conductcitationThe Actigraph accelerometer has high validity, high reliability and low reactivity in children.
“The Actigraph is a small, unobtrusive and lightweight monitor with high validity (relative to reference measures of physical activity, direct observation and energy expenditure), high reliability and low reactivity in children,16”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [16] source
Not checked in the free run.
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
PremisecitationThe International Children's Accelerometry Database, though cross-sectional, suggests that objectively measured physical activity may be in decline in both sexes from around the age of school entry.
“The International Children’s Accelerometry Database, though cross-sectional, suggests that objectively measured physical activity may be in decline in both sexes from around the age of school entry.13”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [13] Cooper, 2015, Objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in youth: the International children’s accelerometry database (ICAD), Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act source
Not checked in the free run.
May combine two claims.
PremisereasoningMost studies in Dumith et al completed data collection before 2000 and probably lack generalisability to contemporary populations.
“since most studies completed data collection before 2000, they probably lack generalisability to contemporary populations given recent and dramatic societal changes: declines in active commuting,10 in the technology being used by children10 (eg, the ubiquitous nature of new screen-based media),11 and in overweight and obesity (which appear to reduce physical activity).12”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checkedClassified as probably not a substantial claim.
PremisecitationIn children born in Iowa in the early 1990s, physical activity declined, in both sexes, from age 5 years in most study participants.
“in children born in Iowa in the early 1990s physical activity declined, in both sexes, from age 5 years in most study participants.14”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [14] Kwon, 2015, Developmental trajectories of physical activity, sports, and television viewing during childhood to young adulthood: Iowa bone development study, JAMA Pediatr source
Not checked in the free run.
May combine two claims.
PremisecitationRecent English longitudinal studies using objective measures are consistent with the present study in suggesting that physical activity does not decline especially markedly at adolescence, and does not decline more markedly in girls than boys during adolescence.
“In summary, recent English longitudinal studies which used objective measures of physical activity are consistent with the present study in suggesting that physical activity does not decline especially markedly at adolescence, and does not decline more markedly in girls than boys during adolescence.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checkedProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Study design and conductown dataGirls with more than two missing/invalid data points had slightly higher BMI z-scores at baseline than those with complete data, but similar physical activity.
“Girls with more than two missing/invalid data points had slightly higher BMI z-scores at baseline than those with complete data, but similar physical activity.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
PremisecitationIn the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort, the incidence of obesity across childhood and adolescence peaked around age 7 years, and among non-obese individuals the rate of excessive weight gain also peaked at the same time.
“In the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort in England for example the incidence (appearance of new cases) of obesity across childhood and adolescence peaked around age 7 years,34 and among non-obese individuals the rate of excessive weight gain also peaked at the same time.35”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checkedMay combine two claims.
Study design and conductown dataParticipants who provided data at least twice had similar physical activity and similar BMI-z scores at baseline compared with those who had missing or invalid accelerometer data.
“Participants who provided data at least twice had similar physical activity and similar BMI-z scores at baseline compared with those who had missing or invalid accelerometer data.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductnone givenThe cohort was contemporary.
“The main strengths of the present study were the longitudinal design, the high quality objective measures of physical activity, the socioeconomically representative sample and the contemporary nature of the cohort.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
PremisecitationDumith et al's systematic review of changes in physical activity during adolescence included 26 eligible longitudinal studies, of which only 2/26 included objective measures of intensity, most (16/26) were from the USA, and representativeness was usually unclear.
“Dumith et al 9 published the most recent systematic review of changes in physical activity during adolescence, with 26 eligible longitudinal studies. Of these eligible studies only 2/26 included objective measures of the intensity of physical activity (accelerometry), most (16/26) were from the USA, and the representativeness of the samples in the eligible studies was usually unclear.9”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [9] source
Not checked in the free run.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
PremisecitationTanaka et al found that accelerometer-measured daily sedentary time increased from around the age of school entry, and as sedentary time increased with age physical activity was displaced.
“The recent systematic review by Tanaka et al also found that accelerometer-measured daily sedentary time increased from around the age of school entry, and as sedentary time increased with age physical activity was displaced.36”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [36] Tanaka, 2014, Longitudinal changes in objectively measured sedentary behaviour and their relationship with adiposity in children and adolescents: systematic review and evidence appraisal, Obes Rev source
Not checked in the free run.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S1 (asserted). May combine two claims.
PremisecitationThere is a widely held and influential view that physical activity begins to decline at adolescence, with the decline being much more marked in girls than boys.
“There is a widely held and influential view that physical activity begins to decline at adolescence.”
- Also stated in: § Introduction · boosted
“For many years the prevailing view among researchers, policy makers, and health and education practitioners, based largely on subjective measurement of physical activity, has been that levels of physical activity are adequate during childhood, but decline dramatically during adolescence, with the adolescent decline being much more marked in girls than boys.3–6”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 4 sources checked- cites [3] Physical Activity Review Group. Five year review of ’Let’s make Scotland more active: a strategy for physical activity': Update statement from the review group. Edinburgh: NHS Health Scotland, 2010.
Not checked in the free run.
- cites [4] Sportscotland. Increasing demand for sport and physical activity for adolescent girls in Scotland: Exploring issues and suggesting solutions. Edinburgh: sportscotland, 2006.
Not checked in the free run.
- cites [5] Activity P , Alliance H . Physical activity and adolescent girls – Knowledge Exchange Network. 2009. http://www.paha.org.uk/Feature/physical-activity-and-adolescent-girls-knowledge-exchange-network (accessed Jul 2016).
Not checked in the free run.
- cites [6] source
Not checked in the free run.
- Also stated in: § Introduction · boosted
The paper relies on this without support.
The Gateshead Millennium Study cohort is representative of the UK population.
“the sample was socioeconomically representative of the north-east of England.15”
“The present study suggests that total volume of physical activity is already declining by age 7 years in the UK.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Evidence suggests a decline in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity after early childhood.
“evidence suggests a decline in MVPA after early childhood,8, 9, 10”
From A mixed-studies systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based interventions to promote physical activity and/or reduce sedentary time in children (2020) · cites this paper as [8]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Boys' age-15 BMI z-score is marked as higher than at age 12
MinorThe table gives boys' mean BMI z-scores as 0.7 at age 12 and 0.5 at age 15. The § marker on the age-15 value says it is significantly higher than the age-12 value, although it is lower.
“BMI z-score | 0.4 (1.2) | 0.5 (1.2)† | 0.7 (1.2)†‡ | 0.5 (1.3)§”
“§, significantly higher than age 12 years”
Girls' age-12 activity is marked as higher than itself
MinorThe § marker is attached to girls' total physical activity at age 12, but the table note defines § as significantly higher than at age 12. That comparison is with the same measurement.
“469 (191)§*”
“§, significantly higher than age 12 years”
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“Two evidence-based but distinct ‘cut-off points’ have been used widely in the literature, but in the present study the cut-point of 574 counts per 15 s was used 22 and it has acceptable classification accuracy.”
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MethodComparison of Accelerometer Cut Points for Predicting Activity Intensity in Youth
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“13 21 In brief, participants were asked to wear the accelerometer during waking hours for 7 days, removing only for bed and water-based activities such as showering, bathing and swimming.”
BackgroundSelf-citationSystematic review of physical activity and health in the early years (aged 0-4 years)
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“…unobtrusive and lightweight monitor with high validity (relative to reference measures of physical activity, direct observation and energy expenditure), high reliability and low reactivity in children, 16 and has been used successfully in many paediatric physical activity studies internationally.”
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“…generalisability to contemporary populations given recent and dramatic societal changes: declines in active commuting, 10 in the technology being used by children 10 (eg, the ubiquitous nature of new screen-based media), 11 and in overweight and obesity (which appear to reduce physical activity).”
BackgroundChange in objectively measured physical activity during the transition to adolescence
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Longitudinal Study of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Children
Basterfield, L., Adamson, A., Frary, J. K., Parkinson, K. N., Pearce, M. S., Reilly, J. J., & for the Gateshead Millennium Study Core Team (2010) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.2010-1935 · Cited by 220 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Data were reduced manually using accelerometry output and log sheets, as described previously, 17–21 to delete periods of non-wear time (corresponding to times noted by the parent, child or adolescent, as unworn).”
MethodSelf-citationSeasonal Variation in Physical Activity Among Children and Adolescents: A Review
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“In UK children there are small seasonal variations in objectively measured habitual physical activity 19 20 25 and so accelerometry measurements at ages 7, 9 and 12 years were made at the same time of the year as described previously 17–21 ; at age 15 years close matching for season was not…”
BackgroundAdolescent Biological Maturity and Physical Activity: Biology Meets Behavior
Sherar, L. B., Cumming, S. P., Eisenmann, J. C., Baxter-Jones, A. D. G., & Malina, R. M. (2010) · Pediatric Exercise Science · doi:10.1123/pes.22.3.332 · Cited by 162 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The issue of why any changes take place (eg, the relative importance of biological versus environmental factors) 7 is important, but is a distinct question which was beyond the scope of the present study.”
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“14 Other evidence is also consistent with the findings of the present study in suggesting that lifestyles of English children become particularly ‘obesogenic’ during mid-childhood.”
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“…generalisability to contemporary populations given recent and dramatic societal changes: declines in active commuting, 10 in the technology being used by children 10 (eg, the ubiquitous nature of new screen-based media), 11 and in overweight and obesity (which appear to reduce physical activity).”
BackgroundLongitudinal changes in sedentary time and physical activity during adolescence
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Correlates of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behaviour in English children
King, A. C., Parkinson, K. N., Adamson, A., Murray, L. S., Besson, H., Reilly, J. J., Basterfield, L., & the Gateshead Millennium Study Core Team (2010) · European Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckq104 · Cited by 121 · cited 1× · see citing works
“In UK children there are small seasonal variations in objectively measured habitual physical activity 19 20 25 and so accelerometry measurements at ages 7, 9 and 12 years were made at the same time of the year as described previously 17–21 ; at age 15 years close matching for season was not…”
BackgroundSelf-citationComparison of two Actigraph models for assessing free-living physical activity in Indian adolescents
Corder, K., Brage, S., Ramachandran, A., Snehalatha, C., Wareham, N., & Ekelund, U. (2007) · Journal of Sports Sciences · doi:10.1080/02640410701283841 · Cited by 120 · cited 1× · see citing works
“23 Since the Actigraph cut-off points used in this study were derived from studies using Actigraph model 7164 and the more recent Actigraph GT1M model has a consistent bias of 9% relative to model 7164, 24 a +9% correction was applied to the raw accelerometry data before applying cut-off points.”
MethodTanaka, C., Reilly, J. J., & Huang, W. Y. (2014) · Obesity Reviews · doi:10.1111/obr.12195 · Cited by 118 · cited 1× · see citing works
“36”
Self-citationA Prospective Study of Sedentary Behavior in a Large Cohort of Youth
MITCHELL, J. A., PATE, R. R., DOWDA, M., MATTOCKS, C., RIDDOCH, C., NESS, A. R., & BLAIR, S. N. (2012) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e3182446c65 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Adiposity in English Children
Basterfield, L., Pearce, M. S., Adamson, A., Frary, J. K., Parkinson, K. N., Wright, C. M., & Reilly, J. J. (2012) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2012.01.007 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Self-citationIncidence of obesity during childhood and adolescence in a large contemporary cohort
Hughes, A. R., Sherriff, A., Lawlor, D. A., Ness, A. R., & Reilly, J. J. (2011) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.02.014 · Cited by 85 · cited 1× · see citing works
“In the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort in England for example the incidence (appearance of new cases) of obesity across childhood and adolescence peaked around age 7 years, 34 and among non-obese individuals the rate of excessive weight gain also peaked at the same time.”
BackgroundSelf-citationPearce, M. S., Basterfield, L., Mann, K. D., Parkinson, K. N., Adamson, A., & John J. Reilly on behalf of the Gateshead Millennium Study Core Team (2012) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037975 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Self-citationBasterfield, L., Adamson, A., Pearce, M. S., & Reilly, J. J. (2011) · Journal of Physical Activity and Health · doi:10.1123/jpah.8.4.543 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Self-citationCohort Profile: The Gateshead Millennium Study
Parkinson, K. N., Pearce, M. S., Dale, A., Reilly, J. J., Drewett, R. F., Wright, C. M., Relton, C. L., McArdle, P., Le Couteur, A. S., & Adamson, A. J. (2011) · International Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/ije/dyq015 · Cited by 62 · cited 2× · see citing works
“15 This was a longitudinal study and the intention was to repeat measures in as many of the original cohort members as possible at subsequent time points.”
BackgroundSelf-citationCollings, P. J., Wijndaele, K., Corder, K. L., Westgate, K. L., Ridgway, C. L., Sharp, S. J., Dunn, V. J., Goodyer, I. M., Ekelund, U., & Brage, S. (2015) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0222-4 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Timing of Excess Weight Gain in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)
Hughes, A. R., Sherriff, A., Lawlor, D. A., Ness, A. R., & Reilly, J. J. (2011) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.2010-0959 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Physical Activity Review Group. Five year review of ’Let’s make Scotland more active: a strategy for physical activity': Update statement from the review group. Edinburgh: NHS Health Scotland, 2010.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Guthold, R., Stevens, G. A., Riley, L. M., & Bull, F. C. (2020) · The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/s2352-4642(19)30323-2 · Cited by 4,033 · see citing works
Lister, N. B., Baur, L. A., Felix, J. F., Hill, A. J., Marcus, C., Reinehr, T., Summerbell, C., & Wabitsch, M. (2023) · Nature Reviews Disease Primers · doi:10.1038/s41572-023-00435-4 · Cited by 547 · see citing works
Farooq, A., Martin, A., Janssen, X., Wilson, M. G., Gibson, A., Hughes, A. R., & Reilly, J. J. (2019) · Obesity Reviews · doi:10.1111/obr.12953 · Cited by 469 · see citing works
“Contrary to these two longitudinal cohorts, the Gateshead Millennium Cohort study with 8‐year follow‐up found MVPA declined much earlier, from age 6 to 7 years in both sexes.(13) Insights into the timing and magnitude of declines in MVPA could come from international consortium data such as the International Children'…”
BackgroundResultSelf-citationSteene‐Johannessen, J., Hansen, B. H., Dalene, K. E., Kolle, E., Northstone, K., Møller, N. C., Grøntved, A., Wedderkopp, N., Kriemler, S., Page, A. S., et al. (2020) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-020-00930-x · Cited by 416 · see citing works
Self-citationTapia‐Serrano, M. Á., Sevil‐Serrano, J., Miguel, P. A. S., López‐Gil, J. F., Tremblay, M. S., & García‐Hermoso, A. (2022) · Journal of sport and health science/Journal of Sport and Health Science · doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2022.01.005 · Cited by 343 · see citing works
“Supporting this idea, the scientific literature is consistent with the age-related decline in daily physical activity levels from childhood to adolescence.(88) It is also possible that as young people get older, they may also use a greater number and type of electronic devices (e.”
ResultLounassalo, I., Salin, K., Kankaanpää, A., Hirvensalo, M. H., Palomäki, S. H., Tolvanen, A. J., Yang, X., & Tammelin, T. (2019) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-019-6513-y · Cited by 249 · see citing works
“quality, 11/27 were rated as fair (scores 9: n = 3 [43, 44, 48]; 10: n = 3 [34, 37, 46]; 11: n = 5 [24, 25, 31, 41, 47]), and”
InfluentialPhysical activity and health in Chinese children and adolescents: expert consensus statement (2020)
Chen, P., Wang, D., Shen, H., Yu, L., Gao, Q., Mao, L., Jiang, F., Luo, Y., Xie, M., Zhang, Y., et al. (2020) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-102261 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Kerner, C., & Goodyear, V. A. (2017) · American Journal of Health Education · doi:10.1080/19325037.2017.1343161 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Jones, M., Defever, E., Letsinger, A., Steele, J., & Mackintosh, K. A. (2020) · Journal of Sport and Health Science · doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2019.06.009 · Cited by 189 · see citing works
Jago, R., Salway, R., Emm-Collison, L., Sebire, S. J., Thompson, J. L., & Lawlor, D. A. (2019) · International Journal of Obesity · doi:10.1038/s41366-019-0459-0 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Hale, G. E., Colquhoun, L., Lancastle, D., Lewis, N., & Tyson, P. J. (2021) · Child and Adolescent Mental Health · doi:10.1111/camh.12485 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Prevalence of Physical Activity among Adolescents from 105 Low, Middle, and High-Income Countries
Marques, A., Henriques‐Neto, D., Peralta, M., Martins, J., Demetriou, Y., Schönbach, D. M. I., & de Matos, M. G. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17093145 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
“Another major finding from our study was that sufficient PA decreases with age among boys and girls, which is in line with previous literature [22].”
BackgroundResultChambonniere, C., Lambert, C., Fearnbach, N., Tardieu, M., Fillon, A., Genin, P., Larras, B., Melsens, P., Bois, J., Pereira, B., et al. (2021) · European Journal of Integrative Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2021.101308 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Domin, A., Spruijt‐Metz, D., Theisen, D., Ouzzahra, Y., & Vögele, C. (2021) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/24308 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
“A major decline in PA levels occurs during the transition from childhood to adolescence [13,14].”
BackgroundInvernizzi, P. L., Crotti, M., Bosio, A., Cavaggioni, L., Alberti, G., & Scurati, R. (2019) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su11020405 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
“Despite these four spheres underpin the awareness of PA importance, studies draw attention to the low participation of young people to sport activities and an to an overall poor motor competence in children [8], together with an early decline of PA during childhood [9].”
BackgroundPromoting Physical Activity Through Youth Sports Programs: It’s Social
Howie, E. K., Daniels, B. T., & Guagliano, J. M. (2018) · American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · doi:10.1177/1559827618754842 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Salway, R., Foster, C. E., de Vocht, F., Tibbitts, B., Emm-Collison, L., House, D., Williams, J. G., Breheny, K., Reid, T., Walker, R. A. J., et al. (2022) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-022-01290-4 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
“However only 41% of children aged 10–11 years in the UK meet this recommendation[9], and evidence shows a decline in physical activity throughout childhood and adolescence [9, 10], with average weekday MVPA declining at a rate of 2.”
BackgroundKlizienė, I., Čižauskas, G., Sipavičienė, S., Aleksandravičienė, R., & Zaičenkovienė, K. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18147536 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
“While the health benefits of physical activity are well-established, higher levels of physical activity have also been associated with enhanced academic-related outcomes, including cognitive function, classroom behaviour, and academic achievement [44].”
BackgroundFairclough, S. J., Taylor, S. L., Rowlands, A. V., Boddy, L. M., & Noonan, R. J. (2019) · Journal of Sports Sciences · doi:10.1080/02640414.2019.1624313 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
“, 2018) are consistent with expected age-related differences in PA (Doherty et al., 2017; Farooq et al., 2017).”
Resultdel Pozo-Cruz, B., Perales, F., Parker, P. D., Lonsdale, C., Noetel, M., Hesketh, K. D., & Sanders, T. (2019) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-019-0816-3 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Harrington, D. M., Davies, M. J., Bodicoat, D. H., Charles, J. M., Chudasama, Y., Gorely, T., Khunti, K. K., Plekhanova, T., Rowlands, A. V., Sherar, L. B., et al. (2018) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-018-0664-6 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
“Although the decline in PA may begin prior to the transition between primary and secondary (high) school, and occurs in both boys and girls [4], there is a need to identify ways to stem the decline in PA in girls once they enter secondary schools as the decline is steeper and faster in girls than boys.”
BackgroundAira, T., Vasankari, T. J., Heinonen, O. J., Korpelainen, R., Kotkajuuri, J., Parkkari, J. P., Savonen, K. P., Uusitalo, A. L. T., Valtonen, M., Villberg, J. J., et al. (2021) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-021-01130-x · Cited by 84 · see citing works
“PA change/maintenance has been presented via patterns [2, 3], trajectories (especially in studies using trajectory modelling [4–6], but also in studies using other methods [7, 8]), profiles [6], groups [2, 9], subgroups [10], and clusters [2], all referring to the same population distributions on the basis of their PA…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialHowie, E. K., McVeigh, J. A., Smith, A. J., Zabatiero, J. G., Bucks, R. S., Mori, T. A., Beilin, L. J., & Straker, L. M. (2020) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106224 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Obesity, Nutrition and Heart Rate Variability
Strüven, A. K., Holzapfel, C., Stremmel, C., & Brunner, S. (2021) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms22084215 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
“Besides diverse influencing factors, a positive energy balance caused by a high energy intake as well as low energy expenditure is the main factor of weight gain [2].”
BackgroundDecline of physical activity in early adolescence: A 3-year cohort study
Sember, V., Jurak, G., Kovač, M., Đurić, S., & Starc, G. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229305 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
“All of these findings indicate that the decrease of MVPA in this age period is a universal phenomenon [15,86,94,95], although not necessarily influenced by biological changes during the maturation period.”
BackgroundReilly, J. J., Hughes, A. R., Janssen, X., Hesketh, K. R., Livingstone, S., Hill, C. M., Kipping, R., Draper, C. E., Okely, A. D., & Martin, A. (2019) · Journal of Physical Activity and Health · doi:10.1123/jpah.2019-0139 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Self-citationChong, K. H., Parrish, A., Cliff, D. P., Kemp, B. J., Zhang, Z., & Okely, A. D. (2019) · Journal of science and medicine in sport · doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2019.12.002 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Solomon-Moore, E., Toumpakari, Z., Sebire, S. J., Thompson, J. L., Lawlor, D. A., & Jago, R. (2018) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019732 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Gehricke, J., Chan, J. G. M., Farmer, J. G., Fenning, R. M., Steinberg-Epstein, R., Misra, M., Parker, R. A., & Neumeyer, A. M. (2019) · Research in Autism · doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2019.101490 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
“, 2017) as well as in the general pediatric population (Cooper et al., 2015; Farooq et al., 2018).”
BackgroundHartwig, T. B., Sanders, T., Vasconcellos, D., Noetel, M., Parker, P. D., Lubans, D. R., Andrade, S., Ávila‐García, M., Bartholomew, J. B., Belton, S., et al. (2021) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-102740 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
“Physical activity in children declines with age[12] and, while the ability of interventions to increase VPA in older students is encouraging, it is worrying that interventions were less effective at improving CRF in older students.”
BackgroundGroup-based physical activity trajectories in children transitioning from elementary to high school
Pate, R. R., Schenkelberg, M. A., Dowda, M. C., & McIver, K. L. (2019) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-019-6630-7 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
“However, to our knowledge, only three studies have explored these trajectories using group-based trajectory modeling: one among a homogenous sample (94% White) of American children [12], another among girls (54% Black) with self-reported physical activity [12–14], and the most recent among a sample of English children…”
BackgroundSteene‐Johannessen, J., Anderssen, S. A., Kolle, E., Hansen, B. H., Bratteteig, M., Dalhaug, E. M., Andersen, L. B., Nystad, W., Ekelund, U., & Dalene, K. E. (2021) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-021-01120-z · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“This approach is supported by longitudinal data from the Gateshead Millennium Study [34] where there was no evidence that declines in PA began during adolescence, or that adolescent declines in PA were greater than the declines during childhood.”
MethodThe physical activity of children and adolescents in Germany 2003-2017: The MoMo-study
Schmidt, S., Anedda, B., Burchartz, A., Oriwol, D., Kolb, S., Wäsche, H., Niessner, C., & Wöll, A. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0236117 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
“colleagues stated in a recent study that PA declines as early as from the age of 7 years in western civilizations and that there was no evidence indicating a substantially smaller decline during childhood than during the transition between adolescence and adulthood [30].”
BackgroundKracht, C. L., & Sisson, S. B. (2018) · BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine · doi:10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000405 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
“Further, the split in obesity rates between only children and children with siblings emerges at around 8 years old,(28) when MVPA levels start to decline in children.(29) Since siblings are a persistent influence throughout childhood, their preferences at this stage may perpetuate or deter this decline in MVPA.”
BackgroundKennedy, S. G., Leahy, A. A., Smith, J. J., Eather, N., Hillman, C. H., Morgan, P. J., Plotnikoff, R. C., Boyer, J., & Lubans, D. R. (2020) · Children · doi:10.3390/children7120299 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“Furthermore, physical activity levels decline dramatically during adolescence [6,7] and only 6% of Australian adolescents (i.”
BackgroundKerner, C., Burrows, A., & McGrane, B. (2019) · International Journal of Health Promotion and Education · doi:10.1080/14635240.2019.1581641 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Surveillance to improve physical activity of children and adolescents
Reilly, J. J., Aubert, S., Brazo‐Sayavera, J., Liu, Y., Cagas, J. Y., & Tremblay, M. S. (2022) · Bulletin of the World Health Organization · doi:10.2471/blt.22.288569 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Self-citationGender differences in child and adolescent daily activities: A cross-national time use study
Gracia, P., Román, J. G., Oinas, T., & Anttila, T. (2021) · Acta Sociologica · doi:10.1177/00016993211008500 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
“These findings give general support to Hypothesis 1 and contribute to previous time-diary studies focusing on other national contexts (Dotti-Sani, 2018; Farooq et al., 2018; Hilbrecht et al., 2008; Mencarini et al., 2019; Solaz and Wolff, 2015; Wight et al., 2009).”
ResultBell, J. A., Hamer, M., Richmond, R. C., Timpson, N. J., Carslake, D., & Smith, G. D. (2018) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002649 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Parental support for physical activity and children’s physical activities: a cross-sectional study
Hosokawa, R., Fujimoto, M., & Katsura, T. (2023) · BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation · doi:10.1186/s13102-023-00700-9 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
“Existing longitudinal studies show that the overall amounts of PA and MVPA decline rapidly after puberty [17].”
BackgroundJago, R., Macdonald-Wallis, C. M., Solomon-Moore, E., Janice, L. T., Lawlor, D. A., & Simon, J. S. (2017) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017588 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Changes in Physical Activity Patterns from Childhood to Adolescence: Genobox Longitudinal Study
Llorente‐Cantarero, F. J., Aguilar-Gómez, F. J., Anguita‐Ruiz, A., Rupérez, A. I., Vázquez‐Cobela, R., Flores‐Rojas, K., Aguilera, C. M., González‐Gil, E. M., Gil‐Campos, M., Bueno, G., et al. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17197227 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“In contrast, the percentage of girls who reached the WHO recommendation was already low at prepubertal time, as previously reported [40], showing a lighter decrease with adolescence (Table 3).”
BackgroundResultPhysical activity interventions for the mental health of children: A systematic review
Hale, G. E., Colquhoun, L., Lancastle, D., Lewis, N., & Tyson, P. J. (2022) · Child Care Health and Development · doi:10.1111/cch.13048 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Beltran‐Valls, M. R., Janssen, X., Farooq, A., Adamson, A., Pearce, M. S., Reilly, J. K., Basterfield, L., & Reilly, J. J. (2018) · Journal of science and medicine in sport · doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2018.10.010 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Self-citationHall, J., Bingham, D. D., Seims, A., Dogra, S. A., Burkhardt, J., Nobles, J., McKenna, J., Bryant, M., Barber, S., & Daly-Smith, A. (2021) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-021-12255-w · Cited by 41 · see citing works
“Given the high numbers of children, and the inverse association between PA levels and age during childhood [23] the Bradford LDP, JU:MP (Join Us: Move.”
BackgroundHuerta‐Uribe, N., Hormazábal‐Aguayo, I., Izquierdo, M., & García‐Hermoso, A. (2023) · Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice · doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2023.110697 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Barriers to adolescent female participation in cricket
Fowlie, J., Eime, R., & Griffiths, K. (2020) · Annals of Leisure Research · doi:10.1080/11745398.2019.1710716 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“gemann (2010), Ferry and Lund (2016) and Bevan and Fane (2017).”
BackgroundUnderstanding Physical Literacy in Youth
Faigenbaum, A. D., & Rebullido, T. R. (2018) · Strength and conditioning journal · doi:10.1519/ssc.0000000000000417 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
“The decline in daily MVPA seems to emerge by the age of 7 years (12) and this disconcerting trend tends to persist into adolescence (6).”
BackgroundThe role of playgrounds in promoting children’s health - a scoping review
Schipperijn, J., Madsen, C. D., Toftager, M., Johansen, D. N., Lousen, I., Amholt, T. T., & Pawlowski, C. S. (2024) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-024-01618-2 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
“The longitudinal analysis of data from the Gateshead Millennium Cohort Study revealed that the total volume of physical activity already starts declining by age 7 in the UK for both boys and girls, and, unlike many other studies, that this decline did not intensify during adolescence [69].”
Adank, A. M., van Kann, D., Hoeboer, J., de Vries, S. I., Kremers, S., & Vos, S. B. (2018) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph15112470 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“Older children spend more time in sedentary activities [23-25] and engage in PA for shorter times than younger children [22,26-28], independently of their MC.”
BackgroundResultTen Research Priorities Related to Youth Sport, Physical Activity, and Health
Howie, E. K., Guagliano, J. M., Milton, K. E., Vella, S. A., Gomersall, S. R., Kolbe-Alexander, T. L., Richards, J. A., & Pate, R. R. (2020) · Journal of Physical Activity and Health · doi:10.1123/jpah.2020-0151 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Peralta, M., Henriques‐Neto, D., Bordado, J., Loureiro, N., Diz, S., & Marques, A. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17041276 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
“Notwithstanding, physical activity levels are known to decrease across adolescence, thus younger adolescents are more physically active than their older peers [23,24].”
BackgroundGuirado, T., Chambonnière, C., Chaput, J., Metz, L., Thivel, D., & Duclos, M. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18062828 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
“, not reaching the physical activity recommendations) [14,15], led some scientists to propose the existence of what they called a “Sedentary & Inactive””
BackgroundBourke, M., Hilland, T. A., & Craike, M. J. (2020) · Psychology of sport and exercise · doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101825 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Rech, J. P., Irwin, J. M., Rosen, A. B., Baldwin, J. L., & Schenkelberg, M. A. (2022) · Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly · doi:10.1123/apaq.2021-0152 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Application of the trans-contextual model to predict change in leisure time physical activity
Kalajas-Tilga, H., Hein, V., Koka, A., Tilga, H., Raudsepp, L., & Hagger, M. S. (2021) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2020.1869741 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“Furthermore, levels of physical activity in this age group tend to decline with age (Farooq et al., 2018).”
BackgroundPhysical Activity, Fitness, and Executive Functions in Youth: Effects, Moderators, and Mechanisms
Lubans, D. R., Leahy, A. A., Mavilidi, M. F., & Valkenborghs, S. R. (2021) · Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2021_271 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Marshall, Z. A., Mackintosh, K. A., Gregory, J. W., & McNarry, M. A. (2021) · Pediatric Diabetes · doi:10.1111/pedi.13288 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“behaviors are known to track from childhood to adolescence, and beyond, the increasing sedentary time in children is especially concerning, potentially further exacerbating the risks of premature, and possibly preventable, deleterious changes in cardiovascular health.(32) Consequently, a much greater understanding of…”
BackgroundJago, R., Solomon-Moore, E., Macdonald-Wallis, C. M., Thompson, J. L., Lawlor, D. A., & Sebire, S. J. (2017) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-017-0565-0 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“This gap is particularly important as children’s physical activity levels progressively decline during primary school [6, 23, 24] and strategies are needed to”
Backgroundconsortia, O. B. O. T. I. A. T. I. F., Buck, C., Eiben, G., Lauria, F., Konstabel, K., Page, A. S., Ahrens, W., & Pigeot, I. (2019) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-019-0886-2 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
May the Force Be with Youth: Foundational Strength for Lifelong Development
Faigenbaum, A. D., Ratamess, N. A., Kang, J., Bush, J. A., & Rebullido, T. R. (2023) · Current Sports Medicine Reports · doi:10.1249/jsr.0000000000001122 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“Because the decline in MVPA begins to emerge during the primary school years (about the age of 7 years) (47), interventions that prepare youth for a lifetime of physical activity should start before adolescence.”
BackgroundPromoting Physical Activity Through Youth Sports Programs: It's Social.
Howie, E. K., Daniels, B. T., & Guagliano, J. M. (2018) · PubMed · doi:10.17863/cam.22017 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Gallant, F., Thibault, V., Hébert, J. J., Gunnell, K. E., & Bélanger, M. F. (2020) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-020-00964-1 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Effect of a Scalable School-Based Intervention on Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Children
Lonsdale, C., Sanders, T., Parker, P. D., Noetel, M., Hartwig, T. B., Vasconcellos, D., Lee, J. J., Antczak, D., Kirwan, M., Morgan, P. J., et al. (2021) · Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine · doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.0417 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Mendez‐Giménez, A., Mahedero-Navarrete, M. P., Puente-Maxera, F., & de Ojeda, D. M. (2021) · European Physical Education Review · doi:10.1177/1356336x211047866 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
“On the one hand, understanding adolescents’ motivational process in the PE context is important since their physical activity (PA) decreases with age, as indicated by the average annual decline of 7% (Corder et al., 2019; Dumith et al., 2011; Farooq et al., 2018; Sember et al., 2020).”
BackgroundProcess evaluation of the school-based Girls Active programme
Gorely, T., Harrington, D. M., Bodicoat, D. H., Davies, M. J., Khunti, K. K., Sherar, L. B., Edwards, R. T., Yates, T. E., & Edwardson, C. L. (2019) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7493-7 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Yang‐Huang, J., van Grieken, A., Wang, L., Jansen, W., & Raat, H. (2020) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu12061722 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“The gender differences in physical activity were larger in adolescents than in younger children [31].”
BackgroundGanzar, L. A., Salvo, D., Burford, K., Zhang, Y., Kohl, H. W., & Hoelscher, D. M. (2022) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-022-01299-9 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“There is consistent evidence that physical activity declines over time during childhood and adolescence [43, 44]; a recent systematic review found that in a pooled analysis of yearly relative change in minutes of daily MVPA from age 3 to 18 was − 3.”
BackgroundExploring Gender Differences within Forest Schools as a Physical Activity Intervention
Trapasso, E., Knowles, Z., Boddy, L., Newson, L., Sayers, J., & Austin, C. (2018) · Children · doi:10.3390/children5100138 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
“Physical activity levels have been found to decline for both boys and girls throughout adolescence [5,6] and therefore effective early life-course intervention approaches to promote habitual PA and reduce sedentary behaviour (SB) are needed.”
Parent-Child Physical Activity Association in Families with 4- to 16-Year-Old Children
Sigmundová, D., Sigmund, E., Baďura, P., & Hollein, T. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17114015 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“On the other hand, in the present study, no differences were observed in SC by age, although most studies confirm that younger children are more physically active than older ones [7,53].”
ResultConnolly, S., Carlin, A., Johnston, A., Woods, C. B., Powell, C., Belton, S., O’Brien, W., Saunders, J. A., Duff, C., Farmer, O., et al. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17186849 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“Our analysis is also consistent with the findings of other UK-wide research that reported on device measured PA and supports the contention that NI children are least likely in the UK to meet guidelines, at age 11 [9] in Europe [42,43] and internationally [44].”
ResultBourke, M., Hilland, T. A., & Craike, M. J. (2021) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2021.1965603 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Janssen, X., Basterfield, L., Parkinson, K. N., Pearce, M. S., Reilly, J. K., Adamson, A., & Reilly, J. J. (2018) · International Journal of Obesity · doi:10.1038/s41366-018-0188-9 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Self-citationTabacchi, G., Faigenbaum, A. D., Jemni, M., Thomas, E., Capranica, L., Palma, A., Breda, J., & Bianco, A. (2018) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph15091933 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“recently reported that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) begins to decline at age 7 years [80], so it may be too late to start interventions during adolescence.”
BackgroundMarić, D., Kvesić, I., Lujan, I. K., Bianco, A., Zenić, N., Šeparović, V., Terzić, A., Veršić, Š., & Sekulić, D. (2020) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare8040532 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“Although not entirely consistent, previous research has more often identified a higher rate of PAL decline in boys during younger adolescence [66,67].”
ResultSupporting Our Lifelong Engagement: Mothers and Teens Exercising (SOLE MATES); a feasibility trial
Corr, M., McMullen, J. M., Morgan, P. J., Barnes, A. T., & Murtagh, E. (2019) · Women & Health · doi:10.1080/03630242.2019.1688446 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Loewen, O. K., Maximova, K., Ekwaru, J. P., Asbridge, M., Ohinmaa, A. E., & Veugelers, P. J. (2020) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0000000000000787 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
McGaughey, T., Vlaar, J., Naylor, P., Hanning, R. M., Mare, L. L., & Mâsse, L. C. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17207646 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Aadland, E., Okely, A. D., & Nilsen, A. K. O. (2022) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-022-01286-0 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Given that previous longitudinal studies including multiple timepoints have applied 15- [8, 10, 15] or 60-s [12, 13] epoch lengths, the ICAD [5, 14] applies a 60-s epoch and the metaanalysis by Farooq [7] included studies with various epoch lengths, different epoch lengths is clearly a candidate for inconsistency in f…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialParker, K. E., Timperio, A. F., Salmon, J., Villanueva, K., Brown, H. L., Esteban‐Cornejo, I., Cabanas‐Sánchez, V., Castro‐Piñero, J., Sánchez‐Oliva, D., & Veiga, Ó. L. (2020) · Journal of sport and health science/Journal of Sport and Health Science · doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2020.02.004 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Results from South Korea's 2018 Report Card on physical activity for children and youth
Oh, J.-W., Lee, E., Lim, J., Lee, S.-H., Jin, Y.-S., Song, B. K., Oh, B., Lee, C. G., Lee, D. H., Lee, H. J., et al. (2018) · Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness · doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2018.10.006 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Eveningness associates with lower physical activity from pre- to late adolescence
Merikanto, I., Kuula, L., Lahti, J. M. T., Räikkönen, K., & Pesonen, A. (2020) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2020.07.021 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Integrated Strength and Fundamental Movement Skill Training in Children: A Pilot Study
Grainger, F., Innerd, A. L., Graham, M., & Wright, M. (2020) · Children · doi:10.3390/children7100161 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
“We also know that physical activity levels start to decline from an early age (7–8 years) [8], and it has been argued that enhancing a child’s motor performance could be pivotal to attenuating this decline [5].”
BackgroundMenescardi, C., Meester, A. D., Álvarez, O., et al. (2023) · Psychology of sport and exercise · doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102398 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Kaioglou, V., Δανιά, Α., & Venetsanou, F. (2020) · Journal of Sports Sciences · doi:10.1080/02640414.2020.1730024 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
“Taking into account that PA levels, also, start to decline in late childhood (Basterfield et al., 2011; Farooq et al., 2018) and that childhood obesity outlines a problem that requires solution, the enhancement of PL in childhood should be the primary focus of those involved in the promotion of PA.”
BackgroundJúdice, P. B., Hetherington‐Rauth, M., Northstone, K., Andersen, L. B., Wedderkopp, N., Ekelund, U., & Sardinha, L. B. (2020) · The Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.06.018 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Graham, M., Azevedo, L. B., Wright, M., & Innerd, A. L. (2021) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01599-3 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
“Furthermore, the volume of physical activity (total and MVPA) begins to decline by the age of 7 years [2, 9, 10], or, in some cases, earlier [11].”
BackgroundMethodWilliams, R. A., Cooper, S. B., Dring, K. J., Hatch, L. M., Morris, J. G., Sun, F., & Nevill, M. E. (2022) · BMC Pediatrics · doi:10.1186/s12887-022-03118-3 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Lisowski, P., Kantanista, A., & Bronikowski, M. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17031109 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“[27] proposed that future research and public health policy should focus on preventing the decline in PA which begins in childhood, not adolescence, to provide an improved understanding of the determinants of the different PA trajectories.”
BackgroundVerjans-Janssen, S. R. B., Gerards, S. M. P. L., Kremers, S., Vos, S. B., Jansen, M. W. J., & van Kann, D. (2020) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-020-01012-8 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Garbett, A., Chatting, D. J., Wilkinson, G., Lee, C. M., & Kharrufa, A. (2018) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3173574.3173581 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Meerits, P.-R., Tilga, H., & Koka, A. (2023) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-023-16528-4 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“Moreover, PA levels in adolescents decline with age [11, 12].”
BackgroundExploring Energy Expenditure and Body Movement of Exergaming in Children of Different Weight Status
Hwang, J., Lee, I.-M. M., Fernandez, A. M., Hillman, C. H., & Lu, A. S. (2019) · Pediatric Exercise Science · doi:10.1123/pes.2019-0006 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Furthermore, physical activity levels begin to decline (17) and differ by weight status (11) at age 7; thus, physical activity behavior should be enhanced, especially for preadolescent children around the ages of 8–12 years.”
BackgroundPossible selves and health behavior in adolescents: A systematic review
Corte, C. M., Lee, C., Stein, K. F., & Raszewski, R. (2020) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298868.2020.1788137 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Beltran‐Valls, M. R., Adelantado‐Renau, M., & Moliner‐Urdiales, D. (2020) · Journal of science and medicine in sport · doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2020.04.012 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Martins, J., Marques, A., Peralta, M., Henriques-Neto, D., Costa, J., Onofre, M., & Valeiro, M. A. G. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17155579 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Thus, since PA tends to decline from childhood to adolescence [43], assuring the involvement of older students in the same number or more PE classes as their age increases might be an important strategy to promote PA and health and socio-educational benefits.”
BackgroundSolomon-Moore, E., Emm-Collison, L., Sebire, S. J., Toumpakari, Z., Thompson, J. L., Lawlor, D. A., & Jago, R. (2018) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph15112547 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Emm-Collison, L., Cross, R., González, M. G., Watson, D. L., Foster, C. E., & Jago, R. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19073993 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Sheldrick, M. P. R., Swindell, N. J., Richards, A. B., Fairclough, S. J., & Stratton, G. (2022) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-022-01346-5 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Children become more sedentary [84, 85] and less active as they get older [86, 87], therefore the changes observed in this study may, in part, be a result of age-related changes in behavioural habits rather than the restrictions in isolation.”
BackgroundOkazaki, K., Koyama, Y., & Ohkawara, K. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-15523-w · Cited by 15 · see citing works
- Authors
- Farooq, M. A., Parkinson, K. N., Adamson, A. J., Pearce, M. S., Reilly, J. K., Hughes, A. R., Janssen, X., Basterfield, L., & Reilly, J. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Strathclyde (GB)
- Newcastle University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Reilly, John J
- ORCID
- Venue
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2017-03-13
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 15
- Pages
- 1002-1006
- ISSN
- 0306-3674 (ISSN-L)
- 1473-0480
- PMC
- PMC6204977
- OpenAlex
- W2592553955
- Semantic Scholar
- 0b9b14d09e18a737f5951e114f8ff2b470e1da98
- Cited by
- 418
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 67 · 2021: 66 · 2020: 63 · 2019: 44 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 11
- FWCI
- 29.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- British Journal of Sports Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Strathprints: The University of Strathclyde institutional repository (University of Strathclyde) (submittedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity) (cc-by-nc)
- Funders
- UK Medical Research Council
- Chief Scientist Office
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Children's Physical and Motor Development
- Keywords
- physical activity decline, children's physical activity, adolescent physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, physical activity trajectories, sex differences in physical activity, accelerometer-measured activity
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Child, England, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Time Factors, Exercise, Actigraphy, Sedentary Behavior
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