Many times parents push their children to play high school sports, but it turns out there is a big payoff later in life.
A new study, titled “Fit in 50 Years,” found 70-year-olds who don’t go to the doctor that often all have something in common, most of them played high school sports.
The findings show those who were active on a team over 50 years ago are more likely to be active into their late 70s.
Researchers surveyed 712 World War II veterans who were healthy as young men. On average the study participants were 78-years-old.
The most surprising result was that those who had played a high school sport in the 1930s or early 1940s reported visiting their doctor fewer times a year.
Also, the best predictor of whether a healthy young man would regularly exercise 50 years later was simply whether he had played a team or individual sport in high school.
Many of those who played a high school sport were still active compared to those who didn’t.
Decreased physical activity among today’s youth is a rising concern in the United States. Especially since research shows inactive
children are more likely to be obese and suffer from mental and physical health problems.
Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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