# Early Life Physical Activity Patterns and Its Survival to Adult Activity Levels: The Longitudinal ABIS Study

## TL;DR

This study shows that early-life physical activity patterns often continue into adulthood and are influenced by family and environmental factors.

## Contribution

The study identifies persistent factors influencing physical activity from childhood to adulthood in a large population-based cohort.

## Key findings

- High physical activity in early childhood correlates with living in a house, having both parents, siblings, and a dog.
- Participation in sports is strongly linked to sustained physical activity from age 8 to adulthood.
- Sedentary behavior in children is associated with lower parental education and full-time parental work.

## Abstract

The impact of physical activity during early-life is significant on long-term health outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine what factors contribute to the continuity or change in activity behaviors over time.

Out of 21,700 children born on Oct 1st, 1997 to Oct 1st, 1999, 17,055 (78.6%) were included in ABIS (All Babies in southeast Sweden) of whom 16,415 participants were included in this longitudinal prospective population-based birth cohort. Logistic regression was conducted to assess associations between the activity score and independent variables, with results presented as odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, p values, and correlation coefficients (r values).

At age 3, high physical activity (Q2) was correlated to: living in a house (r = 0.881, p = 0.003) with both parents (r = 0.833, p < 0.001), ≥1 siblings (r = 0.876, p < 0.001), having a dog (r = 0.773, p < 0.001), high parental education (r = 0.817, p < 0.001) and parents working part time (0–50%) (r = 0.496, p < 0.001). These factors were persistent at age 5, 8, 10–12 years. Participation in sports had strong correlation with Q2 from age 8- to 17–23-years (r = 0.763, p < 0.001). Less physical activity (Q1) was correlated to: at age 3 parental less education (r = 0.816, p < 0.001) with full time work (r = 0.816, p < 0.001), no siblings (r = 0.835, p = 0.004), child lives in split custody (r = 0.736, p < 0.001), and mother smoking (r = 0.789, p = 0.032). These patterns seemed persistent at age 5, 8, 10–12 years with Q1. Lower parental smoking was associated to higher physical activity in children.

The study identifies key factors affecting children and adolescents’ physical activity, providing insights for targeted interventions.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40798-025-00934-6.

Early-life physical activity patterns tend to track into adulthood.Children who were medium physically active in childhood became more active after age 8.Sedentary behavior of children improved based on factors like parental education, parental part time job patterns, and organized physical activities for a child.

Early-life physical activity patterns tend to track into adulthood.

Children who were medium physically active in childhood became more active after age 8.

Sedentary behavior of children improved based on factors like parental education, parental part time job patterns, and organized physical activities for a child.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40798-025-00934-6.