Youth sports betting: exploring associations with addictive behaviors and sport participation

BackgroundIn many European countries, about two-thirds of young people participate in sports clubs. However, these numbers peaks in early adolescence and then decrease. In addition, participation in sports clubs looks different in different groups. Participation in sports have the possibility to contribute to young peoplés health in a broad sense, both increasing their physical activity, but also their mental and social health. Sports clubs have also been acknowledged as health promoting settings by researchers and policymakers. Young people participate in sports for different reasons, most common are that it is fun, social, developing and healthy. On the other hand, young people drop out of sports because of coach and teammate relations, but also for organizational reasons like facilities or lack of coaches. A reason can also be too much focus on performance, although this can also be a motivating reason. A major task for sports clubs is to develop sports to maintain the participation of young people. Different perspectives can be used to develop sports clubs activities, among them the novel health-promoting sports clubs approach. Few studies have however explored young people's perspectives on health-promoting sports clubs. The aim of this study is therefore to explore young peoplés perspectives on what makes a sports club health-promoting.MethodsThis cross-sectional study conducted a brief survey in two schools in central Sweden with grade 9 pupils (15-16 years old). The sample consisted of 123 participants (54 % girls, 52 % sport clubs participants, 37 % former sports clubs participants). The questionnaire contained three open-ended questions about what characteristic of a sports clubs makes them feel well, not well and makes them want to stay in sports clubs. The data was analysed with content analysis in combination with statistical analyses.ResultsEarly results shows that fun, social dimensions, coaches, but also organizing aspects like amount and ambition of practice are factors that young people think makes a sports club health-promoting.ConclusionsHealth-promoting perspective on sports clubs can from young peoplés perspective include many dimensions and develop sports clubs in this direction could lead to young people staying longer.

This paper tries to examine some variables that influence students’ participation in combative sports in Nigeria. The study looked at the effect of coach-student relationship, school influence and peer influence on students’ participation in combative sports. The results of the findings show that coaches-students relationship has significant influence on students’ interest in combative sports, school and peer group also have significant influence in students participation in combative sports. Some recommendations such as combative sports should be introduced in all levels of the educational system. This will encourage large number of participants in these sports; that even at the community levels, combative sports should be introduced to help in instilling discipline and respect for law and order. It will enhance in the maintenance peace and unity in the community.

Background:Since April 2020, some high schools were closed to in-person teaching, and interscholastic and club sports were cancelled in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. While some US adolescents participated in sports since April 2020, other US adolescents did not participate in sports during this time. It is unknown what effect sport participation has had on the health of adolescents.Hypothesis/Purpose:To identify how sport participation during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the health of adolescents.Methods:Adolescents across the US were recruited via social media to complete an online survey in the spring of 2021. Participants were asked to report their demographics (age, gender, race), whether they participated in school club or school sports since May 2020, type of school they attended (in-person, online, hybrid), and measures of mental health (MH), physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QoL). Assessments included the: General Anxiety Disorder-7 Item (GAD-7) for anxiety, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item (PHQ-9) for depression, Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale (PFABS) for physical activity, and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL) for quality of life. Assessment scores were compared for respondents who participated in sports (PAR) with those that did not participate in sports (NoPAR). Univariable comparisons between the groups were made via t-tests or chi-square tests while means for continuous outcome measures were compared between the groups by ANOVA models that controlled for age, gender, race and the type of school attendance.Results:4,693 adolescents (52% female, Age = 16.1+1.3 yrs., grades 9–12) from 38 states participated in the study with PAR = 4,286 (91%) and NoPAR = 407 (9%). NoPAR participants reported a higher prevalence of moderate to severe levels of anxiety (29.3% vs 21.3%, p<0.001) and depression (40.7% vs 19.8%, p<0.001). NoPAR participants reported lower (worse) PFABS scores (mean 13.2 [95%CI 12.4, 13.9] vs 21.2 [20.7, 21.6] p<0.001) and lower (worse) PedsQL total scores compared to the PAR group (77.9 [76.5, 79.3] vs. 83.2 [82.3, 84.1], p<0.001).Conclusions:Adolescents who did not play a sport during the COVID-19 pandemic reported significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression, as well as lower physical activity and quality of life scores compared to adolescents who did play a school or club sport. Participation in organized sports may offer an important opportunity to improve physical activity and mental health for adolescents during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sports participation has the potential to contribute to young people’s health. A prerequisite for young people to benefit from sports is that they stay in sports. Studies that consider both personal and contextual factors are needed to unpack the broader health-promoting potential of youth sports. The purpose of the study is to contribute to knowledge about the health-promoting potential of young people’s participation in organized sports by exploring youth perspectives on what makes a sports club health-promoting with a focus on health resources that young people consider important for sports club participation. For this cross-sectional study a brief survey was conducted with 15–16 year old students (n = 123) at two schools in Sweden, asking three open-ended questions about their participation in sports. The study used a salutogenic theory-driven analysis in combination with statistical analysis. Five health resources that young people consider important for sports club participation are revealed. On an individual, more ‘swimmer’-related level, these are personal well-being and social relations, including relationally meaningful activities, and on an organizational level, relating to the ‘river’, that sports clubs offer a supportive and well-functioning environment. For sports clubs to be health-promoting settings for young people and thus hopefully to reduce drop-out, we need a more sustainable approach emphasizing drop-in, drop-through, and drop-over as a continuous iterative process. We also need to consider the complexity of sports participation for young people, involving individual, organizational and environmental issues.

Objective: Exercise is a recognised means for improving quality of life. In general, students perform less sports activity than previous generations. In contrast, however, children’s participation in competitive sports has increased. The present study therefore aimed to assess how many students participate in sports clubs, how active in sports student (non)members are, and what actual effect sports clubs have on enabling sufficient sports activity. Methods: Students (N=213) in the first year of university studies (19-20 years) were recruited for a study approved by the Slovenian Ethics Committee. They answered a questionnaire on their sports club membership and on their sports activity during organised sports training and/or in their free time. Results were statistically analysed and compared to our previous results obtained from primary and secondary school children (1). Results: Only 16% of students participate in sports clubs, which is less (p&lt;0.001) than in primary and secondary school children. The average (SD) sports activity of student sports-club members is 11.7 (6.8) h/week, with students non-members being significantly (p&lt;0.001) less active with 4.6 (3.0) h/week. Participation in sports clubs is lower (p&lt;0.001) in female (15%) than in male (21%) students, which is similar to children. Conclusions: The results of the study demonstrate that sports clubs in Slovenia are important for promoting sufficient sports activity. Namely, most of the student members participate in sports activity more than the recommended 1 h/day and are more than two times more active than their peers. Females, however, participate less often in sports clubs, which calls for further attention.

BackgroundMuch research has been conducted into the determinants of physical activity (PA) participation among adolescent girls. However, the more specific question of what are the determinants of particular forms of PA participation, such as the link between participation through a sports club, has not been investigated. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between participation in a sports club and socio-economic status (SES), access to facilities, and family and peer support, for female adolescents.MethodsA survey of 732 female adolescent school students (521 metropolitan, 211 non-metropolitan; 489 Year 7, 243 Year 11) was conducted. The survey included demographic information (living arrangements, ethnicity indicators, and indicators of SES such as parental education and employment status and locality); access to facilities; and family and peer support (travel, encouragement, watching, praise, joint participation). For each characteristic, sports club participants and non-participants were compared using chi-square tests. Multiple mediation analyses were used to investigate the role of access, family and peer support in the link between SES and sport participation.ResultsThere were significant associations (p<0.05) between sports club participation and: all demographic characteristics; all measures of family and peer support; and access to sport-related facilities. Highest levels of participation were associated with monolingual Australian-born families, with two parents, at least one of whom was well-educated, with both parents employed, and high levels of parental assistance, engagement and support. Participation in club sport among both younger and older adolescent girls was significantly positively associated with the SES of both their neighbourhoods and their households, particularly in metropolitan areas. These associations were most strongly mediated by family support and by access to facilities.ConclusionsTo facilitate and promote greater participation in club sport among adolescent girls from low SES neighbourhoods and households, strategies should target modifiable determinants such as facility access and parental support. This will involve improving access to sports facilities and promoting, encouraging and assisting parents to provide support for their daughters’ participation in sport clubs.

Children born preterm may be less physically active than children born term because of neurocognitive problems, reduced lung function, and poor physical fitness. We evaluated sports participation of children and adolescents who had been born preterm (<37 weeks) and early term (37-38 weeks) in 2001. Data from a nationwide longitudinal survey (n = 47,015, including 2375 children born preterm) were analyzed. As indicators of sports participation, we used responses to questions about participation in sports clubs at 7 and 10 years old and in extracurricular school sports at 15 years old. Children born very preterm (25-31 weeks) and moderately to late preterm (32-36 weeks) were less likely to participate in sports clubs at 7, 10, and 15 years old than children born full term (39-41 weeks). Compared with children born full term, the adjusted risk ratios for participation in extracurricular school sports at 15 years old were 0.86 (95% confidence interval: 0.75-0.98) for children born very preterm, 0.92 (0.88-0.97) for children born moderately to late preterm, and 1.00 (0.98-1.02) for children born early term. Our findings suggest that preterm birth is associated with less participation in organized sports during childhood and adolescence than full-term birth. Research investigating associations between preterm birth and physical activity among children born in the 2000s is limited. This study shows that preterm birth was associated with less participation in organized sports during childhood and adolescence than full-term birth, especially in boys, and the participation in organized sports of children born preterm decreased as gestation shortened. During childhood, boys born early term were also less likely to participate in organized sports than boys born full term, suggesting a continuum with preterm births. These findings offer important additional insights into the limited evidence available for predicting future health outcomes for preterm infants.

Linking participants in school-based sport programs to community clubs

The relevance of local sport policy to achieve ‘sport for all’ has been widely recognized. Public spending on sport is seen necessary to keep sport affordable, while specific policy programs are aimed to include groups that lag behind in sport participation. This paper explores the impact of local government’s sport expenditures on sport (club) participation and more particularly its impact on sport (club) participation differences between higher and lower socio-economic positions, in the Netherlands. Bronfenbrenner’s socio-ecological model is used as a theoretical starting point for our analyses and we performed multiple 3-level logistic regression analyses. The analyses were conducted separately for youth and adults using information from a large national population survey enriched with secondary data on municipal sport expenditures and policy programs. Our findings suggest that the effect of sport policy is most substantial for youth sport club participation. For adults, sport participation tends to be negatively associated with municipal sport expenditures and policy programs. With regard to the impact of sport policy on participation differences between higher and lower socio-economic positions, we find that for youth higher municipal sport expenditure is associated with smaller sport club participation differences between higher and lower socio-economic groups. Overall, our results imply that in the Netherlands municipal sport policy does matter, although primarily for youth, in addition to the social environment and socio-economic position of individuals. With these results our study contributes to an evidence-base for sport policy and to the current body of knowledge on explaining differences in sport participation.

Adolescents’ participation in club-organized sports has decreased over time. Adolescents are known to drop out of club-organized sports as they age and may instead participate in self-organized sports. Boys are reported to participate more in club-organized sports than girls.PurposeTo study the trends of patterns of participation in club-organized and self-organized sports from 2013-2019 in Swedish adolescents aged 12-18 years.MethodsThis study is part of a repeated cross-sectional study on sports and screen-time, including 3949 Swedish adolescents. Participation in club-organized and self-organized sports, watching TV & movies, and playing video games, was analyzed annually for the years 2013-2019, in 12–14-year-olds and 15-18-year-olds separately, by descriptive statistics, cluster analysis and, clusters’ centroids’ closeness across years. Clusters’ associations with gender were tested with regression analysis.ResultsIn younger adolescents, 68-78% participate in club-organized and 61-91% in self-organized sports. Among older adolescents, 52-64% participate in club-organized sports, and 70-88% in self-organized. In all years and both age groups, most adolescents are in patterns characterized by participating in sports. Patterns of inactivity and participation in sport are similar in 2013-2019. Younger adolescents show patterns of not participating in club-organized sports and older not in self-organized sports. The proportion of older adolescents in inactivity decreased over time. Among younger adolescents, no gender was frequently associated with any specific pattern, while girls were frequently associated with patterns of inactivity in the older age group.ConclusionThe study provides a new perspective on trends in patterns of participation in club-organized and self-organized sports from 2013 to 2019 in Swedish adolescents. Most adolescents were in patterns of participation in sports, yet the inactivity pattern was reoccurring. Younger adolescents showed patterns of not participating in club-organized sports and older not in self-organized sports. There were no gender differences in patterns among younger adolescents, while older girls are associated with patterns of inactivity. A policy that directly targets inactive adolescents, especially focusing on older girls, may be beneficial to increase participation in sports for all adolescents.FundingSwedish Research Council (2018-05824_VR).Title 3Growing grassroot participation opportunities in Kids’ Athletics through quality education and partnershipsPurposeKids’ Athletics (KA), initiated in 2002, has engaged over 13 million children globally. It addresses the concerning statistic that 81% of youth and young people not meeting WHO's daily physical activity recommendations, to provide positive grassroots athletics experiences for mental and physical well-being.Project or Policy DescriptionRecognising the evolving needs of children and communities, the KA programme underwent a comprehensive review in 2021. The redesigned programme emphasises adaptability, inclusivity, enabling clubs, schools, sport organisations to foster participation through a modernised approach to athletics. The programme strategically utilises public spaces, eliminating the dependence on traditional athletics infrastructure and equipment, and employs a digital-first strategy for enhanced accessibility.The KA approach is participant centred, providing positive experiences in physical activity to all children, no matter their individual abilities or circumstances. A positive experience is one that meets the individual needs of participants and is fun, safe, and teaches basic skills. Ensuring children and young people build the skills and confidence to by physically active for life.Creating a capable and educated workforce was the priority in the initial implementation of the programme. In 2022/2023 World Athletics (WA) developed and conducted 'Train the Trainer' workshops across the globe, establishing an initial network of 200 KA National Leads in 157 countries, reaching over 500,000 children in 2023. Making training available online via the WA eLearning platform in late 2023 allowed WA to increase the reach of consistent information and training.Kids’ Athletics is currently assessed based on programme reach, global participation, and accessibility for children. The next phase involves evaluating programme quality and impact across various contexts. As well as establishing local partnerships and collaboration with delivery partners and governments to scale up the delivery of the programme.ConclusionKids’ Athletics exemplifies grassroots sports delivery, offering quality physical activity opportunities through a physical literacy approach in clubs, schools, and communities.

BackgroundThis study investigated the perceived influence of a Healthy Welcoming Environment (HWE) on participation in sports clubs among adolescent girls, and how these perceptions changed longitudinally. HWE was defined in terms of a set of health promotion policies advocated by a health promotion foundation as the basis of sport club health promotion practice to promote structural reform in state sporting organisations and their affiliated associations and clubs. These included sports injury prevention, smoke-free, responsible serving of alcohol, sun protection, healthy eating, and welcoming and inclusive environments.MethodsYear 7 and 11 female students from metropolitan (n = 17) and non-metropolitan secondary schools (n = 14) in Australia were invited to participate in three annual surveys. These surveys collected information about current or past membership of a sports club and the influence of HWEs on their decision to participate (or not) in a sports club.ResultsYear 7 (n = 328; 74.5%) and Year 11 (n = 112; 25.5%) female students completed all three waves (19.6% response rate; 82.7 and 74.0% retention rate). Most agreed that characteristics of HWEs were a positive influence on their participation in sports clubs, except those relating to alcohol and Sunsmart. Welcoming factors had consistent high agreement among respondents. Alcohol and friendliness factors of the club were regarded as being positively influential by higher percentages of non-metropolitan than metropolitan respondents.ConclusionsWelcoming factors were the most positive influences on decisions to participate in sports clubs. These factors may be important in reducing barriers to sport participation. Strategies supporting the social environment within sports clubs should be prioritised.

BackgroundInternationally, COVID-19 restrictions impacted negatively on participation in sport and physical activity. Participation in community club sport was particularly disrupted with cancelled training and competitions, and this has been shown to impact the health of individuals. We now need to investigate the effects of the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.AimThe aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the health of Australian adult sports club participants, during and post-COVID-19 restrictions.MethodsTwo waves of an online survey were conducted in mid-2020 and mid-2021. The first wave also captured retrospective pre-COVID19 (2019) data. For each year 2019–2021 each survey respondent was categorized as participating (Yes/No) in club sport. Respondents also assessed their current health (overall, physical and mental) in both 2020 and 2021. The six health assessments were cross-tabulated against three patterns of participation (dropout, dropout and return, continuation), for the survey sample overall and for six demographic subsamples: 42 crosstabulations in all.ResultsA total of 1,037 Australians aged 18 years and above completed both survey waves. Those who continued playing club sport throughout, and to a lesser degree those who returned to club sport in 2021, reported better physical and general health than those who dropped out. This pattern was consistent, for the overall survey sample and for the sub-samples based on gender, age and region of residence, with statistically significantly associations (p < 0.05) in 24 of 28 analyses. The pattern of club sport participation was only weakly associated with reported mental health, with only one of 14 associations being statistically significant.ConclusionChanges in club sport participation impact general and physical health of adults; continuation or return were associated with better physical and general health than drop-out. There was little evidence of an association between participation in sport and mental health, which is inconsistent with previously reported cross-sectional results; this may be due to a combination of factors, including confounding with the broader effects of the pandemic. In conclusion, it is clear that retention in participation in sport is not just important for sports management policy and strategies; it is also important for the health of individuals.

Adolescent participation in sports and adult physical activity

Participation in organized sports is a popular and important part of the lives of children and adolescents and is associated with improved psychological and social health, as well as an increased likelihood of meeting physical activity (PA) recommendations. Changes in modern society, including increased car ownership and use of technology and electronic media, have led to an additional focus on the importance of health‐enhancing PA among children and adolescents. The aim of this article was to study the secular changes in self‐reports of participation in organized sports clubs and leisure‐time vigorous physical activity (LVPA), and whether the relationship between participation in organized sports clubs and LVPA has changed from 1985 to 2014. Questionnaire data were collected in two cross‐sectional samples of Finnish and Norwegian 11‐, 13‐ and 15‐year‐olds in 1985/1986 (n = 7137) and 2014 (n = 9218). Overall, participation in organized sports clubs and level of LVPA appears to have changed in the same direction in the two Nordic countries. The proportion of 11‐year‐olds reporting to be participants in organized sports clubs increased from 1985/1986 to 2014. There was an overall increase in self‐reported LVPA. The association between participation in sports clubs and LVPA was stronger in 2014 than in 1985/1986. The findings indicated subgroup differences, in particular with regard to a steeper increase in LVPA and participation in sports clubs among Finnish girls. We suggest that attention should be given to the role of organized sports to better understand secular changes in PA.

Athletes’ history of concussions is an important indicator of risk potential in organized sports. The purpose of this project was to explore differences by sport classification (contact vs. noncontact) and sex on concussion history among university club sports participants. This was a cross-sectional quality improvement study ( n = 593). The outcomes were self-reported answers to: (1) How many times have you been diagnosed with a concussion? and (2) How many times have you had your “bell rung”/“dinged”? Multivariable logistic regression models examined the association of contact club sport participation and sex on the history of concussion and prior experience of having their bell rung. Models were adjusted for age, race, participation in multiple sports, and years of participation in sports, and years in college. When compared to those in non-contact club sports, the adjusted odds of reporting ever having a concussion were 2.29 times higher for those participating in contact club sports (OR = 2.29; 95% CI: 1.49, 3.53). In the model for having a bell rung, those participating in a contact sport had 1.90 times greater odds of reporting having their bell rung in the past compared to those in noncontact sports (OR = 1.90; 95% CI: 1.25, 2.88). Whereas males and females did not differ in their self-reported concussion history, females had significantly lower odds of reporting having their bell rung in the past than males (OR = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.30, 0.69). Female athletes have a higher reporting of concussion incidence than that of male athletes. The use of terminology and variance in slang versus medical terms has the potential to affect reporting outcomes. Reporting of concussion incidents has the potential to be influenced by the nature of sport culture and sport participation in contact versus noncontact sports. Club sport athletes could benefit from tailored education related to concussions based on these results.