A study from bmj.com has found parents who are active during pregnancy and early in their child's life are more likely to raise active children. Up to this point, some risk factors for adult diseases have been associated with lower levels of activity in children. Other associations have also been found between early life factors, up to age five, and childhood obesity. To find out more about the early life influences on children's level of physical activity, researchers observed children aged 11 to 12 who were taking part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Each child wore an accelerometer for seven days, which recorded the intensity and frequency of physical activity by the minute. Data was collected from over 5,000 children, who were observed for at least 10 hours during 3 days, and were analyzed according to various factors hypothesized to affect physical activity.

Researchers found several factors to be associated with later physical activity, such as the mother's level of activity during pregnancy, season of birth, one or both parents' physical activity when the child was aged 21 months, and having an older sibling. The author's believe that the mother's activity during pregnancy is not likely to be a biological factor and, instead, indicates that mothers who are physically active during pregnancy are more likely to remain active after pregnancy, which can influence a child's level of physical activity.

The authors' say that, "We have shown that early life factors have limited influence on later physical activity in 11 to 12 year olds, but that children are slightly more active if their parents are active early in the child's life". The authors believe that helping parents increase their level of physical activity may promote children's activity and curb childhood obesity trends.

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