Cited by 418Physical Activity and HealthObesity, Physical Activity, DietChildren's Physical and Motor Development

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 31 of the 31 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 24 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Timing of the decline in physical activity in childhood and adolescence: Gateshead Millennium Cohort Study

Open access

Abstract

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.

Overview

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

Crossref · 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096933

Cites

31 of 31 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Figures

Figure 1 Change in total physical activity in boys (1A) and girls (1B) based on trajectory analysis.
Figure 1 Change in total physical activity in boys (1A) and girls (1B) based on trajectory analysis.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Figure 2 Change in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity in boys (2A) and girls (2B) based on trajectory analysis.
Figure 2 Change in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity in boys (2A) and girls (2B) based on trajectory analysis.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

14 Not checked yet · 12 Own result · 6 Own method · 5 Own interpretation · 1 No basis given

Verify all 24 references — free account

Show all 21 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 10
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 11
17 of 17
  • 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.”
1 of 1

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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.

2 of 2

Citations

Cites

Show all 31 references

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  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.

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Metadata

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
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
OpenAlex
W2592553955
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
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 › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › 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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