Physical Activity and Healthy Weight Maintenance From Childhood to Adulthood

Among 1,594 young Australian adults, females with stable or increasing physical activity were 25-37% more likely to maintain a healthy weight compared to those with large decreases in activity.

• Change in physical activity was categorized as decreasing, stable, or increasing based on z-scores between childhood and adulthood.
• Healthy weight was defined as a BMI below 25 kg/m² in adulthood and below international overweight cutoff points in childhood.
• Few associations between physical activity changes and healthy weight maintenance reached statistical significance.
• Younger males who increased their physical activity moderately or largely showed a 27-34% likelihood of maintaining a healthy weight compared to those with large decreases, though not statistically significant.
• The findings suggest a weak association between physical activity levels and healthy weight maintenance from childhood to adulthood.

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