SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIALIZED AND UNSPECIALIZED YOUTH

Abstract

The benefits of physical activity cross all domains of health. Unfortunately, many children are not meeting the current American College of Sports Medicine recommendations of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) 7 days a week. This is especially deleterious since physical activity patterns during childhood may carryover to adulthood. Research has also shown that participating in one sport may increase the risk of injury. The purpose of this study was to examine self-reported exercise levels in children reporting to a tertiary sports medicine clinic over a three year period. Subjects were asked “How many minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day?” and “How many days per week do you participate in moderate to vigorous physical activity”. Minutes per week of MVPA was calculated. Age, sex, and current sports and recreational activities were recorded. There were 7427 unique patients (53% female) with an average age of 13.8±2.6. The average minutes per day of exercise was reported as 85.6±44.4, average days per week was 4.4±1.6 and minutes per week was 410.8±266.9. Females reported less minutes per day (83.5 vs. 87.8, p<.001), less days per week (4.2 vs 4.7, p<.001) and less minutes per week (384.1 vs 440.2, p<.001) than males. On average, females reported 56 minutes less activity per week than their male counterparts. There were 3618 participants who only reported one activity and were categorized as specialized in a single physical activity. Those that specialized in a single activity were significantly older (14.1 vs 13.4, p<.001). There were no significant differences between reported minutes per day between specialized and unspecialized athletes (85.8 vs 85.2, p=.57). Those who specialized in one activity reported more days per week (4.6 vs 4.2. p<.001) and more minutes per week (423.8 vs 397.0, p=.001) than unspecialized athletes. Research has consistently shown that females are less active than males. Those who specialized in one activity participated in more minutes per week of activity, mainly through participating in more days of physical activity. Children should be encouraged to participate in a variety of activities on a daily basis to ensure they receive the benefits of physical activity.