6. The Effects of Involvement in Physical Activity and Organized Athletics on the Prevalence of Peer Victimization in Adolescents

Abstract

Physical activity is encouraged among adolescents to teach healthy living while also protecting youth by reducing the risk of many physical and mental health issues. Involvement in organized athletics, a common avenue for participation in physical activity among adolescents but may also inadvertently contribute to peer victimization. The goal of this paper was to assess if involvement in organized athletics moderates the relationship between physical activity and peer victimization. 21420 adolescent Canadian students completed the 2010 Health Behaviour Survey for School-aged Children, which included measures assessing physical activity, involvement in organized athletics, and involvement in bullying. Moderated regressions indicated that poor health, low physical activity, absence of involvement in organized athletics, lower grade, and gender were associated with increased peer victimization. These findings suggest that although involvement in organized athletics offers adolescents an opportunity to be physically active, it may come at cost due to an increased risk for peer victimization. This research has implications for both practice and policy.