Changes in physical activity patterns from adolescence to young adulthood: the BELINDA study

Physical activity (PA) is recognized as a marker of health. The aim was to investigate PA differences from adolescence to young adulthood. European adolescents included in the HELENA study were invited to participate in a follow-up study, 10 years later. The present study included 141 adults (25.0 ± 1.4 years) for whom valid accelerometer data were available in adolescence and adulthood. Changes in PA by sex, weight and maternal education level were explored with interactions. Time spent in sedentary activity, light PA (LPA) and moderate PA (MPA) increased by 39.1, 59.6 and 6.6 min/day, respectively, whereas the time spent in vigorous PA (VPA) decreased by 11.3 min/day compared with adolescent VPA ( p