[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-health-basics\/childrens-bone-health\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-health-basics\/childrens-bone-health\/","headline":"Are we setting kids up for osteoporosis?","name":"Are we setting kids up for osteoporosis?","description":"Print PDF eBook Facebook Twitter Gmail LinkedIn Pinterest Recent studies point to a worrisome trend: children and young adults, especially girls, have become a great deal more sedentary in recent years, and it\u2019s affecting their health. And while most of these studies talk about the short-term impacts this has \u2014 rising obesity and increased depression […]","datePublished":"2018-09-04","dateModified":"2026-04-28","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/#Person","name":"Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/","identifier":72,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Center for Better Bones","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","width":150,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/image.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/image.jpeg","height":1109,"width":2120},"url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-health-basics\/childrens-bone-health\/","about":["Bone Health Basics"],"wordCount":783,"keywords":["osteoporosis"],"articleBody":" Print PDF eBook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwitter\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGmail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPinterest\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRecent studies point to a worrisome trend: children and young adults, especially girls, have become a great deal more sedentary in recent years, and it\u2019s affecting their health. And while most of these studies talk about the short-term impacts this has \u2014 rising obesity and increased depression and anxiety being among them \u2014 I wonder about the impact of this lifestyle on children’s bone health and risk for osteoporosis as they grow older.Table of ContentsToggleSedentary lifestyles among kids and teens becoming the norm, especially for girlsWhat will happen to children’s bone health when they become adults?Sedentary lifestyles among kids and teens becoming the norm, especially for girlsResearchers from the U.S. National Institute on Aging in collaboration with Johns Hopkins\u2019 Bloomberg School of Public Health and North Carolina State University, looked at activity levels in 12,589 participants grouped by age: children (6\u201311 years); adolescents (12\u201319 years); young adults (20\u201329 years); adults at midlife (ages 31\u201359); and older adults (60\u201384 years). Slightly more than half (51%) of the participants were female.The findings that were most startling\u2014and concerning\u2014were that among children, more than 25% of boys and 50% of girls age 6\u201311 had not met the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that children age 5\u201317 get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day. This is a much higher level of sedentary behavior than was previously thought to exist in children. And it\u2019s even worse among adolescents: more than 50% of male and 75% of female adolescents age 12\u201319 did not meet WHO activity level recommendations.What will happen to children’s bone health when they become adults?Well, we know that the peak time for building bone happens in adolescence and young adulthood. And we also know that bone (and muscle) are a \u201cuse it or lose it\u201d system \u2014 no exercise means muscle doesn\u2019t move, and non-moving muscle means bone isn\u2019t stimulated to turn over and strengthen. So if children, and especially adolescents, are sedentary, it means they are not maximizing their bone building during the crucial peak bone-building period of their lives. And that means that later in life, when losing bone is common, they won\u2019t have as much to spare, putting them at risk of osteoporosis.It\u2019s especially problematic for the girls and young women in the study, because as we know, when women reach midlife, it is often the case that they lose bone during menopause. This menopausal bone loss isn\u2019t necessarily a major problem \u2014 unless the woman did not build adequate bone reserves during adolescence and young adulthood. And this study suggests that the majority of girls in the study were particularly prone to being sedentary \u2014 which can have devastating long-term consequences.\u00a0It is estimated that a 10% increase in children\u2019s peak bone mass would delay the development of osteoporosis by 13 years.\u00a0So what can we do to protect children’s bone health?I have some thoughts:Let\u2019s all be aware that our daughters and granddaughters need to be more active. Start the habit of exercise early. We have this picture of little girls in our society as delicate flowers \u2014 but girls can be just as rough-and-tumble as boys if allowed to be! But whether it\u2019s ballet classes or the soccer field, getting them involved in physical activities can only benefit them, short term AND long term.And let\u2019s also remember that when it comes to activity, it doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be vigorous. Whether it\u2019s a child or an adult, even low to moderate levels of physical activity can be beneficial (and they\u2019re certainly more beneficial than sitting!)If the children and adolescents in your life have sedentary habits, model a different lifestyle for them. I guarantee that no adolescent wants their mother or grandmother outdoing them on the hiking trail \u2014 so if you set the pace, they\u2019ll keep up!You can also help them by ensuring they get adequate nutrients for bone building in the teen years \u2014 via a healthful diet if you can manage it, but picky eaters may need nutritional supplements.[av_toggle_container initial=’0′ mode=’accordion’ sort=” styling=” colors=” font_color=” background_color=” border_color=” av_uid=’av-rvof2awt’ custom_class=”][av_toggle title=’Reference’ tags=” av_uid=’av-eo5r8zb1′]Verma VR, Dey D, Leroux A, et al. Re-evaluating the effect of age on physical activity over the lifespan. Prev Med 2017;101:102\u2013108.[\/av_toggle][\/av_toggle_container]For a complete breakdown of every nutrient your bones need, see our guide to bone health nutrition and the 20+ nutrients your bones need.Learn how your diet affects bone pH in our comprehensive guide to dietary pH balance and bone density."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Bone Health Basics","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-health-basics\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Are we setting kids up for osteoporosis?","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-health-basics\/childrens-bone-health\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]