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Walking to Sports

Children who stand and walk at an early age tend to play more sports as teenagers, according to a new study. Researchers from the MRC Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge looked at parents' accounts of their child's progress in walking or standing at age one and compared this with how much sport they did at 14. The earlier a child started motor development, the higher their physical education grades were at 14.

Researchers looked at more than 9,000 children from Finland born in1966. They found that the earlier a child started motor development -defined as standing unaided or walking with support - the higher theirphysical education grades at the age of 14. These children participatedmore frequently in sports and played a greater number of differentsports as teenagers.

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