Influence of Adolescent Physical Activity on Health Outcomes during Early Adulthood : A Systematic Review

Short Oral

Abstract Overview

Background: Emerging evidence suggests a positive association between physical activity (PA) in adolescence and health status in adulthood. However, the only synthesis of the literature on this relationship is almost two decades old.
Purpose: We aimed to update knowledge on this relationship by systematically reviewing the literature on the association between PA in adolescence and health status in early adulthood.
Methods: We searched AMED, Medline, CINAHL, APA Psychinfo, and PubMed databases with combinations of five concepts: “PA”, “adolescence”, “health status/quality of life”, “young adulthood”, and “longitudinal”. To be included in this review, articles had to measure PA in adolescence, health status in early adulthood, provide a measure of association between the two and include participants aged 13 to 24 years.
Results: A total of 31 articles were retained, including the past literature review and 30 new cohort studies (3 retrospective and 27 prospective). All 14 studies that assessed an association between PA levels over time supported the existence of a low-to-moderate positive association between PA in adolescence and PA in early adulthood. In 13 studies examining PA in adolescence and physical health in early adulthood, 11 found a positive relationship and 2 found no association. The results of 12 studies using mental health outcomes suggest that PA in adolescence is beneficial to mental health in early adulthood. Only 2 studies report the association between PA in adolescence and quality of life in early adulthood and they show mixed results. More PA in adolescence was associated with better overall health in early adulthood in all 5 studies assessing this relationship.
Conclusions: This review highlights that PA during adolescence is positively associated with better health outcomes in early adulthood.
Practical implications: Promoting PA throughout adolescence is one of the best ways to improve health status in early adulthood.

Additional Authors

Name: Francois Gallant
Affiliation: Dalhousie University, Vitalite Health Network
Presenting Author: no
Name: Pamela Tanguay
Affiliation: Sherbrooke University
Presenting Author: no
Name: Daniel Saucier
Affiliation: Sherbrooke University
Presenting Author: no
Name: Pierre Faivre
Affiliation: Sherbrooke University
Presenting Author: no
Name: Said Mekary
Affiliation: Sherbrooke University
Presenting Author: no
Name: Mathieu Belanger
Affiliation: Sherbrooke University
Presenting Author: no

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Information

Study Type: Epidemiology
Subtheme: Co-benefits/ non-health benefits/ SDGs
Population Group: Adolescents, Adults
Setting: Not Applicable

Submitting Author

Pierre Philippe Wilson Registe
Doctorate candidate
Université de Sherbrooke
Canada

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