Adherence
Physical activity (specifically moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) significantly declines by an average of 5.2 minutes per day during the transition from adolescence (13-19 years) to early adulthood (16-30 years).
If you are moving from your teens into your 20s or 30s, expect your daily moderate-to-vigorous activity to drop by about 5 minutes a day on average. This is a normal response to life changes like starting a job or moving out. To protect your health, you must intentionally structure your time to maintain activity levels, as the natural trend is downward.
Published longitudinal data indicate that physical activity declines over the transition from adolescence to adulthood by an average of 5.2 min of MVPA per day.
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of 49 longitudinal studies, but with very high heterogeneity (I2 >99%) and mostly 'Weak' quality ratings for individual studies.
Source
Change in physical activity from adolescence to early adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies
Kirsten Corder et al. · British Journal of Sports Medicine · 2017
DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097330
More from this paper
- The decline in physical activity is slightly more pronounced in males than in females during the transition to adulthood.Moderate
- Objective measurement of physical activity using accelerometers reveals a greater decline (7.4 min/day) compared to self-reported methods, suggesting self-report may underestimate the magnitude of the decline.Limited
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →