The Childhood Roots of an Active Adult Life

What makes someone an active adult? A massive study of over 200,000 people across 22 countries looked at whether things from childhood — like family money, relationships with parents, health, and religious attendance — could predict how much people exercise decades later. The findings were surprising in their simplicity.

Feeling healthy as a child and attending religious services are two powerful, cross-cultural predictors of an active adult life.

Two childhood factors stood out across the globe: how healthy kids felt they were, and how often they attended religious services. People who reported excellent health as children exercised more days per week as adults. The same was true for those who attended religious services at least weekly or monthly around age 12. On the flip side, women and people over 80 tended to exercise less than men and young adults.

Other factors — like family wealth, parent relationships, divorce, abuse, or feeling like an outsider — showed mixed results that varied a lot from country to country. The study also found that physical activity tends to drop off after the early twenties, with a slight bump in the 50s and 60s. While the reasons behind these patterns are complex, the research points to a simple truth: the seeds of adult exercise habits are often planted long before we ever set foot in a gym.