Research article
Adolescent participation in sports and adult physical activity

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(02)00575-5Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Physical activity in adolescence has been reported to enhance physical activity in adulthood, but detailed information on the enhancing effect of different types of adolescent sports is lacking. We evaluated the association between participation in different types of adolescent sports and physical activity in adulthood.

Methods

The sample comprised 7794 males and females who responded to the mailed questions on physical activity status at age 14 years and at age 31 years in follow-up surveys of the Northern Finland 1966 birth cohort. The associations between adolescent participation in different sports and adult physical activity was examined by multinomial logistic regression.

Results

Frequent participation in sports after school hours in adolescence was associated with a high level of physical activity in adulthood. In males, adolescent participation in ball games, intensive endurance sports, track and field, and combat sports was associated with a high or very high level of adult activity. In females, the same applied to adolescent participation in running, orienteering, track and field, cycling, gymnastics, and riding. Adolescent participation in ball games increased participation in ball games in adulthood, especially in males, while participation in cross-country skiing, running, and orienteering provided the greatest stimulation to carry over of some endurance sport to adulthood.

Conclusions

Participation in sports at least once a week among females and twice a week among males was associated with high level of physical activity in later life. Adolescent participation in the intensive endurance sports, and some sports that require and encourage diversified sports skills, appeared to be most beneficial with respect to the enhancement of adult physical activity.

Introduction

T he benefits of a physically active lifestyle for health have been strongly emphasized during the last few years.1 Participation in sports in childhood and adolescence has been reported to increase the probability of a high level of physical activity in later life.2, 3, 4, 5, 6 However, detailed information about the continuity of different types of sports from adolescence into adulthood is lacking. The types of physical activity that would be most beneficial for adolescents in terms of lifelong participation in physical activity are unknown. Such information would be useful in planning physical education lessons and other sport opportunities for adolescents, and in developing support for those sports that are more likely to enhance a lifelong commitment to physical activity.

The main aim of the study was to evaluate the association between participation in various types of sports in adolescence and the level and types of physical activity in adulthood. The social determinants of participation in various types of sports in adolescence were also assessed.

Section snippets

Sample and study setting

The study population was the 1966 birth cohort7 in Finland’s two northernmost provinces (N=12,058). The study focused on the follow-up evaluations carried out in 1980 and 1997–1998, at age 14 and 31 years, respectively. At both ages, questionnaires were mailed to all subjects whose addresses were known. The response rates were 97% (n=11,399) and 75% (n=8767), respectively. The present study included 3664 males and 4130 females who responded to all questions about the level of physical activity

Physical activity at ages 14 and 31

At age 14, the percentages of those who participated in sports daily, every other day, twice a day, once a day, and less often than once a day were 23%, 25%, 22%, 12%, and 18%, respectively, for males, and 13%, 15%, 23%, 20%, and 29%, respectively, for females. At age 14, the most common types of sports were cross-country skiing, running, ice hockey, skating, soccer, and swimming (Table 1). Subjects commonly reported participation in several types of sports at the same time. At age 14, 30%

Discussion

The present finding about the association between the adolescent and adult level of physical activity corresponds to results obtained in previous longitudinal studies.2, 3, 4, 5, 6 In the present study, participation in sports at least once a week in adolescent females and twice a week in males was associated with high levels of physical activity in later life. This level of adolescent physical activity could be interpreted as the minimal dose with respect to enhancement of adult physical

Conclusion

Participation in sports at least once a week in females and twice a week in males was associated with a high level of physical activity in adulthood. Adolescent participation in rather intensive endurance sports, such as cross-country skiing, running, and orienteering, and in some sports that demand and develop diversified skills at sports, such as track and field and ball games in males, seemed to be most beneficial with respect to the enhancement of adult physical activity. However, the

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Ministry of Education, the Academy of Finland, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, and the Oulu University Hospital.

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