BMJ  2006;332 (29 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7548.0-b

Early social factors may affect adolescents' physical activity

Social and behavioural factors in early life may be more important than early biological characteristics in determining activity levels in young adolescents. Hallal and colleagues (p 1002) followed more than 4400 children from birth to the age of 10-12 years and found that by then 58% of them had a sedentary lifestyle; risk factors were female sex, high family income at birth, low birth order, and low physical activity at age 4. In contrast, weight gain variables during childhood and being overweight at age 1 or 4 years did not significantly predict activity levels in early adolescence.

Credit: IAN HOOTON/MOTHER & BABY LIBRARY

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Relevant Article

Early determinants of physical activity in adolescence: prospective birth cohort study

Pedro C Hallal, Jonathan C K Wells, Felipe F Reichert, Luciana Anselmi, and Cesar G Victora
BMJ 2006 332: 1002-1007. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]