Culture Post: Healthy or Unhealthy Childhood Habits Could Shape Adult Habits

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

A person’s strength and cardiovascular fitness in adulthood may be traced back to behaviors established during childhood, according to a new University of Georgia study.

The study found that healthy or unhealthy exercise habits in adolescence, starting as early as age 11, may set the stage for physical health later in life. The findings are published in the European Journal of Pediatrics.

“Not only is this polarization happening, but it continues,” said Sami Yli-Piipari, corresponding author of the study and an associate professor in the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education. “As you grow up, you tend to stay in the same group of habits, meaning that if you are not active and you have a little problem with your weight, that will likely remain as you age.”

The findings could have implications for cardiovascular disease and obesity prevention down the line, the researchers said.

The researchers tested activity, agility, endurance and muscle strength in more than 1,100 fifth graders. They also analyzed body composition to determine overall fitness levels.

The study found four distinct patterns among the children after following them for four years:

• Children with extremely low fitness levels, motor competence, overweight, and only low-to-moderate physical activity.
• Children with poor fitness levels and motor competence but healthy weight.
• Children with above average fitness levels in all factors and healthy indicators.
• Children with high levels in all fitness factors and healthy indicators.

The children in each category tended to stay in those categories as they got older. The study suggests that fitness habits were difficult to break once established.

“These profiles are quite stable, which is something that we have to take action on,” said Yli-Piipari. “We have to make sure that when children are young, they have positive support for activities that improve their health. It is difficult to become more active or to stay active.”

The less healthy behaviors were linked to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and childhood obesity.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-healthy-unhealthy-childhood-habits-adult.html

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