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Review
Change in physical activity from adolescence to early adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies
  1. Kirsten Corder,
  2. Eleanor Winpenny,
  3. Rebecca Love,
  4. Helen Elizabeth Brown,
  5. Martin White,
  6. Esther van Sluijs
  1. UKCRC Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Kirsten Corder, MRC Epidemiology Unit University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine Box 285, Institute of Metabolic Science Cambridge Biomedical Campus Cambridge CB2 0QQ UK; kirsten.corder{at}mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk

Abstract

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.

Registration PROSPERO ref:CRD42015030114.

  • Physical Activity
  • Adolescent

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-097330

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors KC drafted the manuscript and conducted meta-analyses. EW conducted the searches. KC, EW and EvS screened abstracts for inclusion. KC and RL screened full texts for inclusion and were involved in data extraction. HEB and KC conducted risk of bias screening. All authors contributed to the research question, critically reviewed the manuscript and approved the manuscript prior to submission.

    • Funding Funding for this study and the work of all authors was supported, wholly or in part, by the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence (RES-590-28-0002). Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Department of Health, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged. The work of KC, HEB, EW and EvS was supported by the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12015/7). RL is funded by a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

    • Competing interests KC reports receiving the following grants: Lead Applicant—a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the GoActive programme to increase physical activity among 13-14 year-old adolescents. Project: 13/90/18 National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research Programme, September 2015—February 2019. Coapplicant—Opportunities within the school environment to shift the distribution of activity intensity in adolescents. Department of Health Policy Research Programme, December 2013—November 2016. KC is a Director of Ridgepoint Consulting Limited, an operational improvement consultancy.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.