The Influence Of Sports Participation On Daily Physical Activity In High School Girls

Abstract

PURPOSE: Physical activity is known to decrease in adolescent girls; however, the influence of organized sports participation on this change is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sport team participation and daily out of school moderate to vigorous physical activity in urban high school girls. METHODS: Ninth grade girls (n = 221) participated in an intervention trial and data were collected at four time points over three years. Measures included a seven-day physical activity recall and previous year sports participation questions from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey. Girls were categorized by the number of sport teams on which they participated at each time point (0, 1, ≥2) and by the total number of times they reported any participation (accumulated sports participation; 0-4). Average daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity outside of school (MVPA) was the outcome variable. Correlation, chi-square and repeated measures mixed model analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Sports participation (≥1 team) was greatest at the end of 9th grade (51%) and lowest in 11th grade (37%). Significant tracking of sports participation was observed with each time being related to every other (r = 0.44-0.56, P < 0.0001). Accumulated sports participation was significantly correlated with MVPA measured at the final time point (r = 0.24, P = 0.0008). Sports participants were unequally distributed over the quartiles of MVPA (c2 = 18.3, P = 0.03). Girls who participated on at least one sport team at three or four time points were more likely to be in the highest quartile of MVPA than those who reported no sport team participation at all time points. Overall, MVPA was low and decreased over the time period. Sports participation and race were significant factors in the change in MVPA. Those who participated on at least one sport team averaged more MVPA than those who did not participate (P < 0.0001). The difference between those who participated on at least two teams and those who did not participate on any was more than 20 minutes per day (P < 0.0001). Although sports participation did not vary by race over time, white girls tended to have more MVPA than black girls (P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Organized sports participation is an important contributor to maintaining MVPA in adolescent girls.