Physical Activity Habits Start Young: A Toddler to Teen Study

Physical activity in toddlerhood leads to more active habits as teenagers, with more active lifestyles and less screen time better at any age.

By Helen Petre

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 20 percent of teenagers participate in recommended levels of physical activity. Why are teenagers so sedentary? Maybe it is because they were sedentary toddlers. 

A longitudinal study done by researchers at the University of Montreal suggests that the physical activity level of teenagers is determined by the activity level they experienced at a very young age. The research team found that what teenagers do is influenced by what they did when they were toddlers. Not only is toddler activity important, but the results indicate that parent involvement in activity is essential, as well as limited screen time and adequate sleep. 

What a toddler does, and how parents interact with their toddler, affects what that child does 10 years later. Kianoush Harandian, the lead researcher, stated that “these early habits matter enormously. They lay the foundation for how children will choose to spend their time as adolescents.” 

Changing lifestyles

Over the years, daily life has changed from physically active to sedentary. Youth, in particular, have shifted from being active, playing outside and doing household chores, to excessive sedentary screen time and snacking. Physical activity contributes to healthy lifestyles, yet 51 percent of toddlers, 72 percent of children, and 81 percent of adolescents are not sufficiently active to lead healthy lives and experience wellness. The WHO suggests that activity and parental interaction in childhood promotes healthy habits, and early experiences, especially within families, establish habits that become automatic in later years. The results of this study support this suggestion. 

The study results 

The researchers asked parents to report the quantity of their active interactions with their toddlers, the amount of screen time the toddler experienced, and the toddler’s sleep time. After 10 years, the same children were asked the same questions. The results were striking. Children who played actively with a parent every day, and had limited screen time of less than one hour as toddlers, were significantly more active at age 12. Harandian reported, “Active parent-child time—playing, moving, being physically engaged together—appears to be the single most powerful lever for establishing healthy, long-term habits.” This makes sense. Children learn from their parents. If everyone in the house sits around a screen and eats snacks, the child thinks that is normal behavior and continues to do that throughout their life. 

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Considerations on the study method

This is a longitudinal study. Parents answered the questions for children at age 2.5, and the children answered 10 years later, when they were age 12. As most parents probably know that reducing screen time and active play are good for toddlers, it is conceivable that the results are a bit biased toward more activity and less screen time. Considering the powerful results that were reported, there is a significant issue. Toddlers clearly do not get enough activity, or parental interaction, and they also get way too much screen time. 

It is also conceivable that relying on 12-year-olds to accurately report their time in physical activity and their time on screens could result in bias. Again, it is reasonable to think that 12-year-olds probably report more physical activity and less screen time, but there again, the results are overwhelming. Adolescents do not experience enough physical activity for optimal health, and they experience too much screen time for optimal mental health, according to the WHO. 

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Conclusion for physical activity

Current technological advances have encouraged a less effortful existence, but this leaves less time for physical activity. The WHO suggests 180 minutes of active physical activity, less than an hour of screen time, and 11 hours of sleep, for children under age 5. This study suggests that perhaps the WHO should publish this suggestion more broadly. The results of this study show that physical activity decreases from toddlerhood to adolescence, and the inactivity habit appears to become established at a very young age. 

The WHO reported in their 2026 plan for a healthier world that regular physical activity reduces noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. They also reported that obesity and inactivity negatively affect mental health, quality of life, and well-being. Yet, they report, the world is becoming more and more sedentary. In response, the WHO created a global action plan of recommended policy changes that can be adapted in any country and/or community. These include increasing a local community’s knowledge of the importance of exercise; promoting and maintaining equitable access to spaces for safe exercise; and creating opportunities and programs for people of any age or ability to engage in regular physical activity individually or communally. Their website includes more reports and recommendations for a “whole system” approach to increasing physical activity.

Final takeaways

The results of this study report that less than 10 percent of toddlers participate in sufficient physical activity to ensure adequate well-being. Adolescents participate in much less activity than they need to be healthy and happy. Another finding is that parental involvement with toddlers in physical activity significantly increases the amount of physical activity in those individuals 10 years later. This is compelling evidence that early habits forecast later lifestyle. 

Physical activity in adolescence represents an important determinant of health and well-being in adulthood. According to these results, and in agreement with WHO recommendations, parents should engage in physical activity, hobbies, and games with their toddlers to ensure optimal health later in life. Habits beget habits. Shared activities between parents and toddlers early in life provide the strongest foundation for later healthy lifestyles. Go outside and play! 

This study was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

References

Harandian, K., Kosak, L.-A., Tremblay, M., & Pagani, L. S. (2026). Active parent-child leisure, sedentariness, and sleep in toddlerhood promise later active lifestyle in early adolescence. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. https:///doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000001478

World Health Organization. (2026). More active people for a healthier world. https://www.who.int/initiatives/gappa.