Abstract
BackgroundParticipation in leisure-time physical activity benefits health and is thought to be more prevalent in higher socioeconomic groups. Evidence indicates that childhood socioeconomic circumstances may have long-term influences on adult health and behaviour; however, it is unclear if this extends to an influence on adult physical activity. The aim of this review is to examine whether a lower childhood socioeconomic position is associated with lower levels of leisure-time physical activity during adulthood.Methods/designKeywords will be used to systematically search five online databases and additional studies will be located through a search of reference lists. At least two researchers working independently will screen search results assess the quality of included studies and extract all relevant data. Studies will be included if they are English language publications that test the association between at least one indicator of childhood socioeconomic position and a leisure-time physical activity outcome measured during adulthood. Any disagreements and discrepancies arising during the conduct of the study will be resolved through discussion.DiscussionThis study will address the gap in evidence by systematically reviewing the published literature to establish whether childhood socioeconomic position is related to adult participation in leisure-time physical activity. The findings may be used to inform future research and policy.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42014007063.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2046-4053-3-141) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Participation in leisure-time physical activity benefits health and is thought to be more prevalent in higher socioeconomic groups
This study will address the gap in evidence by systematically reviewing the published literature to establish whether childhood socioeconomic position is related to adult participation in leisure-time physical activity
Regular physical activity has positive effects on health and mental well-being and promotes independent living in later life, while inactivity on the other hand accrues public health costs that are comparable to smoking [1]
Summary
Participation in leisure-time physical activity benefits health and is thought to be more prevalent in higher socioeconomic groups. Like many health outcomes and behaviours, LTPA is associated with contemporaneous socioeconomic circumstances; evidence from existing systematic reviews indicates that less socioeconomically advantaged adolescents [5] and adults [6] tend to participate in less LTPA compared with their more advantaged peers. Inconsistencies in these associations have been described [5,6], and the finding in one review [6] that some indicators of socioeconomic position (SEP), such as educational attainment, appeared to be more strongly related to physical activity than others was not replicated by a later review [7]
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