A new study. published in July issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, reports that by ninth grade students mostly abandon pphysical activities they enjoyed while younger.
That's mostly because, when kids get older, they get weeded out of team sports because the competitive level rises.
According to Montreal researchers, who conducted the study of midle and high schoolers, students reported their participation in 29 physical activities over five years. Although participation in team-based activities started high at 94 percent in seventh grade, 50 percent of girls and 31 percent of boys had dropped out by the end of high school. Conversely, only 10 percent of adolescents abandoned their individual activities during the same period.
According to Dr. Mathieu Bélanger, research director at the New Brunswick Medical Training Centre, the most popular activities in seventh grade -- such as walking, running and physical conditioning -- had the highest levels of reuptake five years later (around 50 percent). In fact, walking was the only activity that girls continued to participate in at the same level over time.
The idea is that if schools taught lifelong fitness activities in PE class (walking for fitness, running, cycling, swimming), all of those ex-soccer and football playing teens would be able to stay in shape once they stop participating in team sports.
