Biological Maturation and Physical Activity in Adolescents

Adolescence is marked by profound biological changes that intersect with patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Biological maturation encompasses the progression through pubertal stages and rapid growth phases, which influence neuromuscular coordination, body composition and psychosocial factors. As young people progress from early to late adolescence, rates of organised and unorganised activity tend to decline, while sedentary pursuits increase. Timing of puberty relative to peers, differences in birth quarter and sex‐specific self-perceptions play key roles in participation. Early-maturing girls often report reduced confidence in body attractiveness and lower self-worth, which correlates with diminished engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Boys who mature later or are relatively younger within a school cohort may sustain individual and unstructured activities for longer. Understanding how maturation interacts with social support, psychological well-being and school demands is essential for designing interventions that promote lifelong active lifestyles.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Longitudinal analyses of Canadian adolescents aged 11–17 reveal that individual and unorganised activities are maintained longer than group-based and organised forms during secondary school. Girls experiencing earlier puberty exhibit higher rates of dropout from organised sport, while boys born later in the calendar year have elevated discontinuation risks across both structured and unstructured activities. These findings underscore how puberty timing and relative age effects jointly shape trajectories of physical engagement, highlighting the need for tailored strategies that sustain participation through key maturational transitions.

Biological Maturation and Physical Activity in Adolescents publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biological maturation and physical activity in adolescents across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Biological maturation: The process of physical development through pubertal stages and growth spurts assessed by indicators such as pubertal staging or predicted adult stature.

Pubertal timing: The age or relative stage at which an individual experiences key pubertal milestones compared with peers.

Peak height velocity (PHV): The period during which the maximum rate of linear growth occurs in adolescence.

Relative age effect: The influence of birth date within an annual cohort on developmental, performance or participation outcomes.

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA): Bodily movement that substantially elevates heart rate and energy expenditure, often quantified by accelerometer thresholds.

References

1. Puberty timing and relative age as predictors of physical activity discontinuation during adolescence. Scientific Reports (2023).
2. Exploring the relationship between adolescent biological maturation, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. Annals of Human Biology (2020).
3. Maturational timing, physical self-perceptions and physical activity in UK adolescent females: investigation of a mediated effects model. Annals of Human Biology (2020).
4. Age at puberty and accelerometer-measured physical activity: Findings from two independent UK cohorts. Annals of Human Biology (2020).