The Forgotten Group: A Call to Focus on Early Adulthood in Sport and Physical Activity Policy and Research

Early adulthood, defined here as the mid-20s to mid-30s, is increasingly recognized as a life phase in which long-term habits and routines associated with family, work, health, and leisure are consolidated and renegotiated. In the context of wider social and economic change, significant transitions such as parenthood, partnership, career establishment, and permanent housing, considered milestones of adulthood, are increasingly occurring at this age. Yet early adulthood has received limited attention in sport and physical activity (PA) research and policy. In this commentary, we review examples of population-level PA surveys (Aotearoa NZ, Australia, Canada, and the U.K.) to show that early adults are rarely distinguished from the broader, all-encompassing adult category (18–65) or targeted in policy or intervention design. We argue that overlooking this stage leaves a conceptual and policy gap. Drawing on illustrative examples from four national policies and relevant literature, this commentary calls for researchers to recognize early adulthood as a distinctive life phase shaped by transition, reconfiguration, and consolidation. A stronger focus on this period may offer important insights into how PA behaviors are experienced, sustained, adapted, or discontinued across the life course.