ArticlePloS one2020
The impact of life events and transitions on physical activity: A scoping review.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 81 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
81 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 172 citations in OpenAlex.
- Physical activity trajectories and accumulation over adulthood and their associations with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.British journal of sports medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Change in general and domain-specific physical activity during the transition from primary to secondary education: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to physical activity for young adult women: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative literature.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2023Pooled it
- Correlates of Physical Activity in 0- to 5-year-olds: A Systematic Umbrella Review and Consultation of International Researchers.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2023Pooled it
- Barriers to high school and university students' physical activity: A systematic review.PloS one · 2022Pooled it
- Impact of behavioral phenotypes on response to a digital intervention to improve physical activity among postpartum individuals with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.Hypertension in pregnancy · 2025Trial
- Testing a vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity intervention in adults transitioning to retirement: a pilot randomised controlled trial.Age and ageing · 2025Trial
- Life events and stress among young adults in weight gain prevention trial.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2023Trial
- Understanding Exercise Facilitators, Preferences, and Goals in Females With Type 2 Diabetes: A Mixed-Methods Analysis.The science of diabetes self-management and care · 2026Article
- Sedentary behaviour and step count are related to skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity in young adult normal-weight women without regular exercise habits: an accelerometer and doubly labelled water method study.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Associations of Fatherhood and Race With Cardiovascular Health Among Men: Findings From the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study, 1985‒2022, United States.American journal of public health · 2026Article
- Affective memories of school physical education, life-phase timing of formative experiences, and adult sport and exercise participation: a quota-representative study in Germany.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Psychological Determinants of the Weight Cycle: A Review of Perceived Stress and Self-Efficacy.Current obesity reports · 2026Review
- Cardiovascular Health Profiles in Pregnant, Postpartum, and Nonpregnant Reproductive-Aged Women Using Life's Essential 8 Scores.JACC. Advances · 2026Article
- Transitional Life Events in Friedreich Ataxia: Differential Age at Onset Perspectives.Cerebellum (London, England) · 2026Article
- Exploring parkrun experiences of women aged 35 to 54 in Australia: a qualitative study.Health promotion international · 2026Article
- Feasibility of dynamic structural equation modeling for capturing micro-level temporal dynamics in adolescent physical activity.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The basic psychological needs of fitness self-testing for Chinese male college students: a qualitative perspective.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Exercise Habits, Preferences, Barriers, and Facilitators in Midlife Women.Exercise, sport & movement · 2026Article
- Nine-year follow-up of 24-hour movement behaviors and glucose metabolism status among adults from the Maastricht study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPhysical activity (PA) is a fluctuating behavior and prone to change across the life course. Changes in PA may be particularly due to the experience of life events and transitions. For well-timed and successful PA interventions, it is important to understand when and why individuals take up or terminate PA.
objectivesThis scoping review aims to examine the extent, range, and nature of research on the impact of life events and transitions on PA and to summarize key findings.
methodsA systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. Articles were included if they had been published in peer-reviewed journals between 1998 and 2020 and assessed the impact of at least one life event or transition on PA.
results107 studies that assessed 72 distinct life events and transitions were included and summarized in ten categories. Events and transitions that are primarily associated with decreases in PA were starting cohabitation, getting married, pregnancy, evolving parenthood, and the transitions from kindergarten to primary school, from primary to secondary school, and from high school to college or into the labor market. Retirement was associated with increases in PA; yet, long-term trajectories across retirement indicated a subsequent drop in activity levels. Divorce was associated with no changes in PA. No trends could be identified for changing work conditions, quitting or losing a job, starting a new relationship, widowhood, moving, and diagnosis of illness.
conclusionLife events and transitions can be conceptualized as natural interventions that occur across the life course and that are oftentimes associated with changes in PA behavior. Our study indicates that, despite some emerging trends, similar events do not necessarily have similar impacts on PA across individuals. It also shows that the research landscape is characterized by a lack of conceptual clarity and by disparate methodologies, making it difficult to synthesize results across studies.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.