Abstract
Sport participation has been associated with lower rates of chronic diseases when compared to other forms of physical activity (PA) among women. However, we do not know if this relationship holds true for men. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sport participation and men’s health and chronic diseases in the USA. This study was a secondary data analysis of the 2015 national Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Participants were questioned extensively about their PA behaviors. Seventy-six different activities were identified and these activities were categorized as sport, conditioning exercise, recreation, or household tasks based upon previously identified categories. Logistic regression was utilized to calculate odds and adjusted odds ratios for chronic diseases based on physical activity category. When compared to men who participated in sport, men in the other PA categories had significantly higher odds for all of the chronic diseases except asthma. After controlling for demographic variables, significant odds remain except for stroke. Higher odds for chronic diseases in the other PA categories indicates that men in these group have a higher risk for chronic diseases than men in the sport category. Because of the potential health improvements related to sports participation, it is important to maintain and increase sport participation for both adolescents and adults.
Highlights
Numerous health benefits are associated with physical activity (PA) [1,2,3,4,5]
118,665 reported participating in some form of PA with 18.8% participating in sport, 68.5% participating in conditioning exercise, 6% participating in recreation, and 7% participating in household tasks (Table 2)
Post hoc analyses comparing men who participated in sport to men who participated in each of the other exercise categories were all significant with a p-value < 0.001 indicating that men who participated in sport were significantly different than men who participated in each of the other exercise categories based on their demographic characteristics
Summary
Numerous health benefits are associated with physical activity (PA) [1,2,3,4,5]. These include a reduced risk of heart disease and risk factors for heart disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes), and reduced risk of some forms of cancer [1,2,3,6,7]. Some research has examined the health benefits based on the intensity of PA as measured by metabolic equivalents (METs). The METs value of different forms of PA compare the intensity of that PA to rest. Research finds that people who engage in vigorous (METs value of 6 or greater)
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