TOPLINE:

Sports participation during childhood or adolescence was associated with higher physical activity levels during adulthood, and together, these were linked to improved health-related quality of life during adulthood, particularly in the general health domain.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted an observational cross-sectional study in Finland with participants selected from a cardiovascular disease risk assessment programme, focusing on long-term effects of sports participation during childhood or adolescence.
• A total of 2503 participants aged 45-70 years with one or more risk factors for cardiovascular diseases were surveyed about their sports participation during childhood and current physical activity levels.
• Participants were divided into three groups on the basis of their sports participation during childhood or adolescence: none (n = 338), as a hobby (n = 1713), and as a competition (n = 452).
• Physical activity levels during adulthood were measured in metabolic equivalent (MET) hours per week on the basis of levels of physical activity during commuting, leisure time, and exercise. Together with each sports participation level during childhood or adolescence, participants were further categorised on the basis of adulthood physical activity levels above or below the median of 7.5 MET hours per week, resulting in six groups.
• Their health-related quality of life was assessed using a 36-item survey covering eight domains: physical functioning, limitations due to physical health, bodily pain, general and mental health, limitations due to emotional issues, social functioning, and energy levels.

TAKEAWAY:

• Sports participation during childhood or adolescence was positively associated with physical activity levels during adulthood, with participants in the competitive group reporting more MET hours per week. Women were significantly more active than men during adulthood.
• Both physical activity during adulthood and sports participation during childhood or adolescence were linked to better general health.
• Sports participation during childhood or adolescence was also positively linked to mental health and vitality.
• Moreover, physical activity during adulthood demonstrated a positive association with physical function and physical and emotional roles.

IN PRACTICE:

"[The study] findings suggest that initiating PA [physical activity] at an early age may yield the greatest long-term subjective health perceptions," the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Tuomas S.M. Lehtola, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. It was published online on February 06, 2026, in the European Journal of Public Health.

LIMITATIONS:

MET hours represent only rough estimates as they were calculated on the basis of available responses to questionnaires. The study's observational design limited the ability to establish causality between early sports participation and adult health outcomes. Only Finnish adults were included, thereby limiting its applicability to other populations.

DISCLOSURES:

The HARMONICA project was funded by the State Provincial Office of Western Finland and the Central Satakunta Health Federation of Municipalities. No relevant conflicts of interest were disclosed by the authors.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.